Longest Novel: Fall of the Republic
by morgan kingsley
Summary: In 2018, nearly twenty years after he sold his honor and integrity to a media company for cheap money and entertainment for kids, a middle aged author decided that he wanted to make one final book in his career that would tell the truth of the adventure he had when he was young. An au of seasons 1-4 that takes place in the united. Also the world will be in dark danger.
1. The Ascension Starts

On October Twenty-First Two Thousand Nineteen, there was a forty five year old author sitting down on his writing chair, wondering what the fucking hell he was even planning on doing in the long run. He was just sort of fucking having a hard time coming up with his next plan. He was wanting to find a good project that was going to keep the audience of his interested, but at the same time, he was thinking that something like this was a bit rough since he had felt like he had touched most ideas on the fucking planet, and that there was virtually nothing to keep him going at all.

As he was thinking about how stumped he was, he scratched his black hair for a few seconds, and rubbed his stubble beard that was the product of him not shaving in about three weeks. It was his more immediate sign of showing stress and hopelessness when it was coming to stuff like his writing career, and provided a quick second or two of relief most of the time. Then he looked at his family picture to help him swarm with ideas. His son, who had just been born hours prior, with T.K. at his house soon after the birth to feel like he had to do one more main project before he got sucked into this life ahead of him. Then the picture of his wife who he married last year, who he first met when she was nineteen, and him forty two. Looking at the pictures gave him a feeling of motivation.

In a way, T.K. Shioda had felt like he had gone on far too long with little pay off, and he was starting to be thinking that perhaps it was time for him to leave the projects alone, and that without doing anything else here, he was sort of fucking thinking that he needed to fucking give up. But that was when there was something else crawling into his mind. Something he did not want to admit, but felt like there was virtually nothing to do in order to fully deny this in the first place. That he was just needing to fucking tell the truth of some terrible events for once in his life. Even though he was sort of scared to go back to that event, due to the fact that it was going to bring up some terrible wounds and stuff.

He was standing up, looking out the window, thinking about the life that he was going to be ready for. If he was truly ready to tackle those events one more time. The events that all happened when he was just a twelve year old boy trying to find his place in enjoying summer, and not hating his own fucking life. He was taking out a Marlboro Red cigarette, figuring that those adventures would be too crazy for him to be writing about in the first place, and that virtually nobody in the fucking world was going to believe in him in the first place, so that he was just needing to find a way to tell the story in a way that people would be thinking that he was just writing some big piece of fiction.

In all fairness, he would have probably not believed in the story either if somebody were to try and tell him this stuff on their own. In fact, he would have probably thought that they were lying to him just to get a reaction. And that they were only wanting to see what he would be saying to get them to be entertained and stuff.

Despite what he was feeling here, T.K. felt like that maybe something like this was just a form of showing denial when they were too scared to admit that something could be truly fucking up the entire world. T.K. laughed, trying to tell himself not to be thinking too deep into this whole thing. And that the longer he was telling himself not to be working on this story, the faster that he was going to tell himself that he could lie about this more. So when he was thinking this more, he shook his head, and then told himself that he might as well just go with it.

He decided that after some thought put into it, that he might as well just go with it, and see how this was going to be bringing his life at the end. He was then thinking as he was sitting down on his chair that in a way, he was sort of having a hard time remembering many of the things going on when he was younger. That the story was a bit more rough on the edges than he had wanted to admit. He shook his head, thinking that he was needing to maybe find some form of a resource to be able to help him out on all of this.

As T.K. was slowly coming to that choice, and that thought set, he was thinking about who he was going to be able to get to want to actually join him on this excursion. He had pulled out his phone, and when he had done this, he was looking at his contacts. And as he was thinking more and more about who his first call would be to, there was a choice that he had made.

If rough memories were something that were getting to him so much, and something that he was feeling like would be really slowly down his progress of telling his story, then he needed a older voice to be able to help him remember the details that he would have been too young to either remember or to understand. And when he was thinking about that a bit more, he was feeling like he had come to his choice, and that he finally knew who his first call was going to be towards.

He put in the number to his dial tone, and snubbed out his current cigarette, and then after he was doing that, he figured that he would get right to the point of this call. Before he had a second more to think about it, that was when his friend answered. "Hey T.K., what is going on right now?" He asked, as if concerned that something was going on, and that he was going to need to help him out.

Turns out his suspicions would be correct when T.K. said "Hey Joe, I know that you might not want to be travelling down this version of memory lane, and I will try to respect this about you. But I need your help. I plan on telling the story of our adventures in the digital world. You know, back when we first started? I figured that since you're five years older than me, you would probably be old enough to refresh me on many of the things that I am not so sure about. I was hoping that you can enlighten me on this." T.K. said, and then after he had said that, he had felt the need to add one more thing to this. "If however you do not feel the wish to be helping me on this, due to reluctance of returning to this memory, then I will respect this from you, and I can hang up right now."

"If you feel like you really need my help on all of this, I will be doing this. Does not mean that I am going to be excited to be doing it, but at the same time, I think that you might be right. That we need to fucking just do whatever we can to make things better for all of us. To finally put these memories to rest." Joe said, and T.K. could just hear the reluctance in his voice. But they both deep down knew this was something that needed to be done.

"See you in an hour or two?" T.K. asked, remembering how far that Joe had lived away. Which was another reason that T.K. approached him first. Since despite how far away that Joe lived away from driving, he was still the closest one in the entire group. He was the only one, aside from T.K., who did not move out of Minnesota when they were old and rich enough to get to do something like this. It was something that T.K. felt like he needed to do. Stay here to make sure nothing else happened that would be too rough for everybody else.

"Yeah, I will be there as soon as I can. Just wait for me until I get there. If you are going to bring me to this, you might as well make me stay the whole ride through." Joe said, and then T.K. smiled and then he said that he would wait. With that, T.K. looked at his materials. He was setting up his computer, thinking that he was going to be having a long journey ahead of him, and that Joe would be the only thing that would keep him from quitting, as soon enough he would be too deep to quit.

When he was looking at his desk, he found the black journal that he had barely touched in decades. It was one that one of the group members gave him when the adventure was coming near an end. He read through it once from start to finish when he had gotten it, but then after that, he put it down and while he kept it, wisely by now, he never read it again. That was to change now, and it was to help him put the past behind him.

Before he could think too much about it, there was a knock on his door. He answered it and saw Joe there. "Thanks for doing this. I was thinking that I would have a good starting point here. Something to be able to make us get going here." T.K. said, and he was showing him the black journal. T.K. threw him the journal, and then gave him some orders. "I am going to type the story. You narrate to me what that says, and I will type as you go." After T.K. gave him those orders, and the computer and document were up, Joe started reading and T.K. started typing.

...

Longest Novel

Fall of the Republic

Chapter One: The Ascension Starts

July Fourteen Nineteen Sixty Six: Hey, my name is Kevin Ichijouji, or for the sake of this journal, I will be going by my nickname Ken. I have no idea where the fucking hell I am, and to be honest, that kind of scares the shit out of me. But I guess that I need to start slow, and really let you guys understand what is even going on here in the first place. I will start to a day or two before I had come here, and I think that when I speak like this, I will be able to sort of have some clue on where to be going from here, and if there is anything that I can do that will truly get me to understand what this situation has been throwing at me and stuff.

So the moment my entire life went to shit was when I was in my room the day or so before I got sucked into this. I was sitting down on my chair, and I was looking down at some pictures of my previous school years. You know, despite only being sixteen years old, and not really have much experience on a lot of regards, I still have some strange things to be looking back on, with different levels of fondness and stuff.

As I was looking at pictures of my friends from back in seventh grade, I was having a mix of feelings right now. On one hand, it was bringing me so much fucking joy to be looking at that stuff, but on the other hand, it broke my heart for two different reasons. But both of them were very fucking valid in my mind. One of which was the fact that I barely see these people anymore, and in all honesty I can't even remember the last time that I have fucking seen them all at once.

The other reason that this was bringing me down was because that was when my life went to total fucking shit. For lack of a better way of describing it. I mean, I was forced to move here after I was barely keeping myself alive in some ways, and I never really made the best out of it. I never really got some real friends, and I never really got to move beyond the shadows of what was honestly the peak of my life. But I guess that complaining about it too much was just never going to be making any real difference, and nobody would truly understand how much it bothered me with just simple and vague ass words.

When I was starting to feel disgusted about everything that was going on here, I was starting to tell myself that I had no real chance of figuring anything else out. I mean, I was needing to not tell myself that I was never going to meet the life that my older brother Sam had been living, since he had made great progress. But at the same time, I felt like I just needed to still try and get something better here than what I had gotten in the last three years.

I was standing up, and then I was telling myself that I was needing to at least try to make this work. I was needing to at least give this my all. To see if I was going to be able to make some new friends. Or reconnect with the people that I started to get to know when I had been here over the last few years, but never really connected with too well. I just felt like I needed to see what was ahead of me. But for some reason, at this moment, I was honestly excited for what was ahead of me.

I honestly thought that maybe I was just going to have to be working hard to get the people to see that I was not lying about what I had been wanting here. I was thinking that maybe when I would finally meet the people that I knew back at the day, then I was finally going to be feeling like I was getting something accomplished and stuff. I was picking up my wallet, and I placed it in my pocket, and then I took a long and deep breath, sort of thinking that I just had to see what I can do now.

I was out of the room, and I was thinking about some of the people that I might try and connect with. If they were willing to give me a chance. I was thinking that maybe there could be Brad. Somebody who had started to almost enjoy my company, and I was thinking that maybe something could work between the two of us, but then I decided to fuck it up by leaving, and just not trying to make anything work. It was all because of that fucking prom night a couple of months ago. If I did not let that discourage me too much, I would have been able to actually be friends with him, and maybe some of his other friends, and I could have had a life.

But I was too damn stubborn I suppose. Maybe I was too scared to be trying to find a way to make people see what was going on in my mind. I was feeling like maybe I was just wanting to have some form of understanding in my life. And that this was my way of acting like none of this was really all that much of a deal. Just brushing off every issue that was being thrown at me, because doing the exact opposite was only going to be making things worse for everybody.

I was at the house door, and when I was there, that was when I saw my older brother Sam. He was looking right at me, and he was looking like he was wishing to speak in a way. "Hey Ken, how are you doing? Are you heading on somewhere?" I was shocked that he was asking me anything, and not just brushing me off at all. I was thinking that maybe there was something going on in his mind, something that was making him feel like shit, and that maybe I needed to find a way to be trying to make him feel better. But I did not know if I was going to be able to do something like this quite yet.

"I was thinking that I can at least try and see what I can do to make something like this work. No point in not trying." I said, and then after I had told Sam that, he was looking down at the ground for a second, and he was thinking that there was no point in trying to be cordial if we all knew deep down that it was not totally genuine and stuff.

"Well good luck. I was not expecting you to do something like this in all honesty. But I guess that this is not really much of my business right now. I just think that I will be going on a date with Susan, and see if she might be wanting to go a bit further with the stuff that we have been doing right now." He said, and he was smiling at this. As if thinking that there was no way she would say no to him. I smiled at him, glad that he was feeling determined, and that he was indeed feeling like he was going to get something good going. I wished that I had that level of confidence, but I don't think I ever could if I tried.

"I think that this would be good for you both. Just to forget about everything going on. I think that maybe when you see her next, you can tell her that I said hi, and that I hope she has a good day." I said, trying to sound polite, but still feeling a bit sad over the fact that she did not respect me in any way beyond simple kindness. That she would never like me and that was something that I was needing to just get over here.

I was then thinking about how I was needing to not be so fucking selfish about what was going on here. I shook my head, and then I told myself to think about Sam a bit more here, and not myself no matter what. "Well, I think that maybe one of these days, I might be asking her hand in marriage. I don't know how it will go, but I have a strong feeling she will say yes." Sam said, and then after he was telling me this, I nodded, thinking that I was sort of fucking getting it, even if I was not dating her myself.

I was thinking that Sam was needing to just be careful with what he was planning to do though. But then after I was thinking that, I shook my head, thinking that Sam knew how to be careful much better than I ever did, and that I was needing to accept that my older brother knew what he was doing more than I ever would be able to.

As this was finally fucking happening, I was thinking about what I was even going to do now. I was walking out of the house, telling myself that I was just going to go right to where Brad lived, and then I would just see how things would be going from there, and that I was needing to not be making things a big issue at all. If I was thinking about what Brad would want me to do, then I would never have come towards him, and that was something that I was clearly not going to be fucking doing, so clearly I did not care enough about his side of things.

I was thinking about how much I thought that maybe Sam would want to help me if he knew what I was fucking doing. But at the same time, I was almost thinking that if he was wanting to help me out, in a way, it was not going to be fucking feeling true. That it was just going to feel like he had to in order to fill in a requirement. I felt like I was going to be on my own, and that in a way, I was sort of wanting this to be the case. To be sort of travelling down a path that none of my family members could help me with.

The town sounds and the sort of back ground noise for lack of a better term that I was feeling when I was walking by made me sort of just feel like I was in a midnight city. A city that was meant to just capture the mood of the place around me. I did not know if this was anything of my desire, but I was thinking that it would help relieve me of the whole Brad fear I had.

Before I knew it, nearly half an hour passed, and I knew that it was this long when I was eventually at the front door of Brad's house. I took a deep breath, and I was telling myself that everything could be fine, and then I knocked on the door. I was thinking that with this, everything would be fine, and that he was going to be there and tell me that he missed me, and then we just can put this whole controversy at a rest. That was the best route, and the route I wanted out of this.

I was seeing the door answer, and when there was an answer, that was when I was seeing a younger boy looking right at me. Probably about seven or eight years old. I was seeing that he was looking like he was trying his bets to hide his feet, since he was looking like he was kind of embarrassed to be having anybody see it or something. I did not get it, and in a way, I was kind of hoping that I would never be able to get it. "Can I help you?" He asked me, and then I was shrugging, thinking that I really got myself into a corner here.

"Hey, I was wondering if Brad was here or something. He and I hung out a couple of times, and I was hoping that he was here or something." I said, and then after I was telling the young boy this, I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of unsure of what I was even meaning here. If I had to place it down to one singular emotion, it would probably be confused at everything.

I was noting to myself, even if it was rude to do so, that he was not the brightest kid in the world. I was also telling myself that maybe there was a good reason to this, and that I was just needing to not comment on it quite yet. "I was just hoping that he would be free, and that maybe the two of us can make something work out." I said, and then after I was done saying this, I was just wondering if this kid was even wanting to be helping me here. I was thinking that maybe he was just not wanting to be speaking to me here.

"He is not here. He is hanging out with one of his friends. Just sort of doing his own thing. I do not know what it is too much, but I think that you need to meet him there if you want to get something done." Tucker said, and then after he was telling me this, I nodded, and then I rubbed my hands, thinking that I was just needing to accept the fact that this was not going to be too much of a help here.

Then after about five or ten seconds of this thought that maybe I was finally having a good indicator on where he might actually be. I looked at the young kid, and then was ready to be thanking him and stuff. "I think I might have a clue on where he is. Thanks for the help. I will be heading there now. Have a good day." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was wondering what he would be wanting to tell me now. But I did no idea what he was even planning on doing here, so I was just telling myself not to be making any big deal out of it anymore.

"I hope that you have a good day too. Tell Brad that I said hi if you see him." The kid said, and he was looking like he was wanting to say more. As if he was thinking that there was something that even I could not fuck up, but then he decided against it and closed his door. After I was seeing him, I was shocked to be seeing him here, and that maybe he was just a young kid who lived there. I mean, I did not think for a moment about the obvious solution and stuff. That being that they were related.

I mean, how could you blame me when not coming to that conclusion. Not only was there a big age difference between Brad and that kid, who looked to be like seven when Brad was like sixteen, but they looked absolutely nothing alike, which was the bigger issue. Tucker had black hair, and brown eyes while Brad had red hair and blue eyes. I mean, yeah sure, the eyes is something that is not all that big of a deal, but the hair was something that I could not explain, especially when it was so radically different in the first place.

I guess that it was none of my business, but I truly wanted to know what relation they had. But I was thinking that if Brad was at the gas station, I could just be able to ask him there, and see what Brad would be telling me. I was thinking that he was just not wanting to talk about young kids or something like that. Wow, that sounded a lot more creepy after I wrote that down than it sounded in my mind. But whatever, I guess that I can't think about it too much.

I thought that Brad was probably going to have a chance he would not even remember who I was. Which if that was the case, then I was going to feel like a idiot, and that I needed to actually pretend like that would not be offending me or anything. I guess that maybe I really would not be, but I would be kind of more shocked that he would not have remembered me when it has only been a couple of nights since we went through the prom fiasco. I promise that I will tell you that story soon enough. That is another story for another time though.

I was at the gas station, where Brad had been going to relatively often the last several years to hang out with somebody who he talked with on a regular basis and stuff. The one person who seemed like he was going to be working there for the rest of his entire fucking life, and I was saying that with the utmost sincerity in my voice. If that is a good or bad thing, I am not sure, but it is just the truth here.

Right when I was inside, I was seeing Brad sitting down on a chair, and he was talking to the guy on the other side of the counter. "Hey Brad, how have you been?" I asked, trying to pretend like I was not planning this whole thing out, and that this was something of a sort of chance encounter. I was feeling like when I was going to just need to do a better job hiding the fact that I am not a very good con man to other people and stuff.

"I am fine. Did not expect you to be here and stuff. I thought that you were just going to be home or something." He said, with a small amount of annoyance to his voice. I was thinking that maybe he was just a bit annoyed that I had interrupted his conversation with Sheldon, who I only really knew the name of with his name tag, and I was thinking that maybe I just had to find a way to be going at this better, to not make him angry at me and stuff.

"Well, I was just coming along, trying to do something better with my life by hoping that I would find something here. Something that would make me feel like I was not just sort of being useless and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was yelling at myself to stop acting over dramatic, and that I was needing to just be more down to earth with my conversation. Sound like I was actually sort of not going to pretend like this was going to be the end all be all of what was happening around me and stuff. "I just wished that you know, I could find and connect with some people again.

"Interesting. I thought that you were somebody who would just sort of be going along their own way, and not really be wanting to go out and have a extensive social life with other people here. I guess that maybe I was wrong with that assumption." After he was telling me this, I was seeing that he was wanting to say more. "Do you think that you are going to be for real about it this time, and not just mess around, and act like you plan to do something here?" Brad almost sounded a small amount resentful at this. I did not blame him for this. With the way that I had treated him earlier and stuff.

"I hope that nothing is going to happen that is going to throw me off, and make it so that I can't really accomplish this." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of thinking that there was no point in trying to argue with me on this, and that he might as well just give me a chance to show them that I was telling the truth here.

"Fine, I guess that I might as well give this a chance here. See if you are telling me the truth here and stuff." He said, and then after he was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he was sort of trying to be finding something else that would change the entire perspective. "But besides, I think that if for nothing else, after almost three months, I need to put that night behind me. Or at least your part of it." He said, and then he was holding his hand out to Sheldon, as if thinking that this was going to be a sign of showing at least some attempt of good will here.

"This is Sheldon, he and I have been hanging out for a couple of years now. At first mostly against my mothers wishes, since she felt that he was too old to hang out with me." He said, and then after he was telling me that, I was waving at Sheldon, as if thinking that I did not need to be acting like we were going to ever really hang out, but that there was no real reason not to be at least cordial to him and stuff, which was what I felt like I had to do here.

"I guess that now that you're almost an adult now, your mother has given up trying to really have a grip on your life and stuff?" I asked, and then he sort of looked at me, and then after I said that to him, he was nodding. I was seeing him looking like his strain on the situation was growing a little bit less and less with each passing bit of dialogue we had, but at the same time, he was still not totally over it yet.

"Yeah, I guess that this can be sort of the gist of what you can say here." Brad responded, and then he was thinking about what he had been saying here. He was thinking about how he was sort of going against everything that his parents wanted, but that in a way, he was sort of having free will to be doing this. "You know, I just think that maybe I will be just needing to see what I can do for my family again. To make them see that I am a man who can be able to make some good choices on his own and stuff. But I do not know if that will even be important now."

We were talking for a bit longer, and then after a half hour or so, and I was feeling like everything was starting to sort of subside, I was then thinking that I was needing to ask a very important question. Or at least important in my own mind and stuff. "Well, I was wondering if you have any way to explain what even happened that night. You know the night of the prom? Do you have any idea what really was going on?"

After Brad asked me that question, I was unsure of what I was going to be telling him. I was thinking that I had to be respectful to the subject. That being said, it was going to be really hard to do such a thing now. "Well, I was thinking that you might know. But that is silly. In all honesty, I have no fucking clue. That is what is bothering me so much. Why that guy came along and decided to try and get me to join him in the first place, with virtually no indication to getting anything out of this in the long run." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I saw him looking like he was sort of hating that I could not have a real answer to what was even happening in the first place.

"Damn, I was hoping that you would have a clue. But I guess that maybe having a clue to something totally fucking strange was too much to be asking for. That such a thing was just going to be sort of shooting for the sky. But I don't know, I feel like there truly must have been a reason to all of this crap going on here." Brad was saying, and then he was just thinking that he had made his point here.

"But Ken, do you have any clue on if you really want to know what is going on here? Because despite how much I don't want to admit it, I kind of don't really want something like this to happen at all." Brad said, and I was then thinking about what to say, and I stood up, looking out the door that way.

"I don't know if I want to know. I think that I need to know what was happening here. What the hell is driving this whole motive forward." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then just taking a deep breath. "I think that if I want to know the truth, then I will be sorely disappointed, and nothing will give me any clue." I left the subject alone, and we hung out for another twenty minutes or so before I decided I needed to go home. In a way, I think that going home was what was changing everything entirely.

I was near my house, thinking too little about things besides the conversation that I was having with Brad and stuff. I had felt like I needed to try and see how I was going to be able to get him to start to want to hang out with me again. I mean, he was being cordial with me so far, but I was feeling like maybe he was not really wanting to hang out with me too much. I was thinking that maybe he was still wanting me to get away from him, not even because of my own personality, but because of the mistakes that I had made and stuff, and that he would never be able to truly get over it and stuff.

As I was thinking about that a whole more, I was thinking that it was a miracle in a way that he was even wanting to be able to give me a chance at all. And that with that, I was thinking that perhaps I was just going to have to find a way to get him to want to be able to open up with me more. To make me feel like I was not making any real issues with the stuff that was ahead of me and stuff. I just felt like I needed to be respectful of the fact that he was feeling scared.

But before I was allowed to think about it too much more, I was near my house, and I was seeing that there was a bunch of police cars in the area. I was shocked to be seeing this, and I was thinking that I needed to fucking understand what was going on with the cars, and that everything else that I had been thinking of was going to need to wait a while.

I reached the house, and one of the officers, who was smoking a cigar, was looking right at me, and he was looking like he was wanting to speak to me about some very serious matters. "Young man, are you named Ken?" He asked me, and then I nodded at this, thinking that I needed to be there for him, and make him think that I was actually going to be able to help his case. I knew that this was going to be a really serious moment, and that for once, I needed to put away any anger I may have had on them towards the pass, and be totally respectful.

"Yes I am. Is something the matter?" I felt dumb even asking this question, since I knew that of course something was the matter. But I was thinking that I just had to be keeping my annoyance about everything away, if such a thing was even going to be possible. But then when I saw the officers looking at me like I was dealing with a lot of grief, I was seeing that maybe they did not really care about my reaction right now.

"Yes, I think that you better understand that there is no nice and easy way of explaining this to you... But your older brother, Sam, died earlier today. We do not know why or anything, but he was found near in the soccer field, and there was a gun next to him, We think that there is either a simple murder or maybe suicide going on here. I think that this is the only lead that we will ever be able to have at all." He said, and then after he had told me this, I was seeing him looking like he had wanted to say more, but felt like there was no point in doing that now.

"There is no way that he would have committed suicide. He was in love with a girl named Susan, they were in a relationship, and they were making some great progress. He was planning on asking her hand in marriage. There is simply no fucking way that this could have been the answer." I was just totally skipping the first stage of grief with denial. I was in no way shocked that Sam was dead. This guy was living a dangerous life, and I knew that. I knew that it was only a matter of time, and that once we moved here, every fucking full week he was even alive was a miracle. The surprise was how long he lasted.

The anger was coming from the fact that these fucking officers acted like they knew him better than the man who lived with him for sixteen fucking years, and while we had our differences, I would not go as far as to say that I hated the man, and this was taking things to a total extreme that I was not willing to deal with. Then you had the fact that they were framing it as a suicide, which I guess was me being in the bargaining stage when I was telling them so violently against this.

"Young man." The guy said, taking a long puff of his cigar, sounding a bit concerned but also pissed with the way that I was acting right now. In his mind as if thinking that I was being a ungrateful little brat for not being there to accept the fact that they were at least talking with me at all. "We just need to know some things that were going on with him. That is all that we need to know. Was there something about this Susan that you might not fully understand?"

"No. He talked about her all the fucking time. I knew her better than I probably knew most people in the entire world. Listen, it was not a suicide. I do not know if it was murder, but that is sure as hell more likely than him killing himself." I said, and then after I was saying this to him, he was taking another puff, just wondering when I was going to be done with my melt down.

"Young man, he might have been rejected by this Susan girl, and that this would have been the thing that would have put him over the edge. Do you think that something like this might be possible?" He asked me, and then I was shaking my head. I had to tell myself not to scream at him. That he was just doing his job, and that by this, I was needing to be patient with him no matter what.

"You know what, if you are not willing to listen to me, and you are not willing to listen to the fact that I think that murder could have a chance of being it, then I am not in the mood of dealing with you right now." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was just clearly trying to tell himself that I was reacting normally. And that there was nothing wrong with what I had been telling him at this point in time.

"We just wish that you would take into account other ideas. We are not trying to offend you with our responses. Do you think that you can give us some clues here? What makes you think that murder might be more likely than a simple suicide?" He was asking me, and while I was aware deep down that what he was asking was realistic, he was just really pushing my fucking cords here, and my patience was genuinely starting to run out here. But that if I was going to work with him, then it would make some fucking sense of this.

"There was a lot of stuff he was telling me. About being watched. Having shit like monsters around him or something. I did not think what he was telling me was the truth. But then he was telling me about the details of these monsters, a man in a purple jacket, and the grinding noise that comes off every month or two. Plus, he was also telling me about a weekly contract that he was forced to fulfill that can give him a job. Maybe he pissed off some boss of his or something. I don't know. But I believe this more than some suicide." I said, and then I was seeing the officer shaking his head, thinking about how stupid this was sounding.

"Young man, it is obvious that you must be going through a rough phase right now. We get it. But there is no fucking way that any of this is the truth. There must be something going on that was making him lose his mind, and then maybe he decided to end it on his own accord. This whole thing is just a bit much to handle..." He said, and then I was at that point of snapping, and I did not care how rude it was going to be sounding here.

"Fuck You!" I shouted at him, and then with that, I was heading off, and I was going to be doing something on my own. I was going to be going to see Susan, and when I was going to do this, I was going to ask her some questions, and I was going to see if she had anything to do with what happened to Sam. Despite what I was wanting to refuse to admit, I would be lying that maybe her pushing him over the top on something was not entirely impossible. I mean, it did have more than a pure zero percent chance of happening.

I was getting there as fast as possible, running, going to her house, and I was going to be as respectful to her as I can, and that with that, I would be like a good man. A man who would finally make Sam proud. Somebody who was going around and actually doing something else that would be beyond the simple being in my room and just crying about shit all day. I was going to figure out who killed him, and how they killed him. I had a fucking purpose for once.

I was thinking that maybe with the way that I was doing this, and the way that I was actually going to be ready to approach Susan, the more that I was going to have a chance to find out what was even happening in the first place. I was thinking that despite my doubts, and that I think she had nothing to do with his death, that she would have a good first clue, and that as a result, I was going to need to see what was happening as a result of this.

I reached the house where Susan had lived, and I knocked on the door. I knocked several times more than needed. But I did not care. I ran a good mile or two, I was out of breath, and my brother was dead. Any form of common respect was gone before I would even have a chance to be able to look like I was showing it all in the first place. I was then seeing Susan answer the door. The nice thing about her being eighteen years old was that she was old enough to have a house of her own. "I have some really bad news." I said, and I was ready to get right to the point here.

"Sam was found dead today at the soccer field. I can't believe that it is happening, but it's just the truth of the matter." I said, and then I was feeling like the way that I said it was the worst way possible. But I felt like it was the only way that was going to really make some fucking sense and stuff. I was feeling like I just needed to be real about what we were even fucking doing in the first place. "I am so sorry. I know how much you meant to him, and how much this would break him if it was the other way around." I knew that I was doing a terrible job at this, but at the moment I did not care.

"Why would such a thing happen? I would have never guessed that anybody would have hated him in the first place." She said, and then she was looking right at me, as if wondering what I was going to be able to tell her. I was thinking that nothing that I could say would make any real difference, and that I just needed to be patient with her, and not make things worse for her.

As she was starting to cry, I began to hug her in support, feeling like I just had to do something to make her feel like somebody cared for what was going on here. "Trust me Susan, I will be here for you if you need me to." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was thinking that this was the biggest lie on the world. But I did not care at all. I needed to try and make her feel better. But at the same time, such a thing was going to be fucking impossible. I just could only come up with empty words that can sound good to the general person.

"Ken, would you be willing to stay for a while?" She asked, and I did not fully get it, and I was thinking that it did not really matter. She asked me to help her, and I would fucking do this. I nodded at this request, and I was ready to just get to doing what I can to make her feel like she was not about to lose the one thing that could give her any feeling of comfort.

"Yeah, I can stay for an hour or two. I don't know if I will be able to do much more than this though. I think that if I were, then my parents might be worried that I myself might be doing something." I shivered in a way at that thought, thinking of how awful it was going to be for something like that to happen, and that I needed to do whatever I can to make sure that my parents did not have that feeling that I was going to get myself killed for a while.

"Thanks for being here for me. I need it right now." She said, and then I nodded, thinking that it was the very absolute least that I can do to make her feel like I would not hurt her anymore and stuff. After I was thinking this, she was letting me inside of her house, and I was thinking that I would need to just let her be the spokes person. Be the one who would truly get the chance to speak, and feel like she would be able to truly explain what was making her feel so lost in the first place.

"I think that it is the least that I can do. I mean, you really were special to him, and you truly meant everything to that man. You deserve to have something handed to you if you feel like you need this." I said, and then I was looking at her, wondering if my barely impressive words were going to be giving her any true feeling here. I was thinking that it would not, but that she needed to pretend like it was so for my own sake.

"You do not need to worry about anything. There is one thing that I want you to try and do for me." Susan said, and I was looking right at her. I was aware that I was going to be hating this request, but at the same time, it was the only thing that was going to be giving us any form of peace here.

"I want you to find what happened to him. The true story, and I want you to go and kill the person that did this to help, if he was murdered. Because if they did that to him, for no real reason, then they deserve to have it happen to them too." She said, and then I was shocked that she was saying something like this in the first place. I was thinking that maybe what she was saying was a emotional response, and that she did not really mean it. But at the same time, I was thinking that I was just going to have to indulge with her a bit. To make her feel like she was indeed getting something across to me here. That I was not going to be having any confusion here.

"Yeah, I can do this. I am not sure that I am going to understand what is going on here, and I do not know if I can make things better for you or anybody, but I can promise that if something like this were to come up, I will do whatever I can to make sure that they will have the punishment given to them that they fucking deserve." I said, and then after I was telling her this, she smiled, although it was a forced one, and only for the context of what she asked me.

"Thank you for doing this Ken. It makes me feel so much better that you are willing to be a man here, and that you do not want to lie or dodge anything about this subject." She said as I nodded, thinking that while the subject was not super easy for me, I could not be angry at her, and that I was needing to understand the context of the situation as best as I could now.

As we were staring at each other, I was sort of unsure of where this was going to be going. In a way, I was honestly kind of worried to know where this was going to be heading, since I had no idea if I was going to be able to truly help out at all. I was sort of feeling like there was no way in fucking hell that I would be able to help her out, and that I was just going to only be making things much worse for her, which made me feel really awful to be honest.

"Do you have anything that you might want to talk about here? I will try to be as open as possible with this." I said, and then I was feeling like what I had suggested was really bland, and was not going to be putting me high on the list of people who were going to help out on many things at all. But in a way, I just felt like doing this was the best that I can do, and the only way that I could show her that I was not going to be in on this for myself.

She had looked at me for several seconds, as if sort of unsure of what they had wanted to be saying to me. In a way, they were sort of just wanting to see if I was going to be truly meaning what I had been saying here, or if I was just leading her on for no real good reason. I mean, in a way, I was sort of able to understand what she was coming from, and I was telling myself not to be too bothered by the way she was acting.

"I know that it is going to be hard for you, since you were so much closer to him than I ever will be, and I think that you deserved more than this. I think that you should be allowed to see what it is like to have somebody that you care about be at your side forever." I said, as I was just sort of unsure on where this was going to be going. I was sort of thinking that the longer that I was heading on this, the less that I would be able to fully understand what was even ahead of us in the first place.

"Do you want to talk longer about it, or do you think that you are fine with just leaving this the way that it is?" I asked, wondering what Susan was even wanting to tell me now. I felt like I was just going to be setting myself up for a long road ahead, one that was going to be very hard to move forward. "I think that you have every right in the world to just tell me the way that it is. No matter how hard it is going to be for you to do this."

"What was your favorite memory of Sam? I can't really choose. But maybe one that really comes out to me right now was our first date, where he asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner and a movie. He seemed like he was kind of scared of what he was doing, and that he was just wanting to sort of get the question over with. I mean, I was free that night. There was no real reason to be turning him down, so I was finding myself accepting my offer, unsure of what I was going to be expecting to be honest." After Susan said this, I saw her thinking for a bit on what she was saying now.

"What did you guys often talk about during your first date?" I asked, and then after I had asked her this, I was seeing her thinking longer and harder about what she was going to be saying now. She seemed like she could not really come up with a real answer, no matter how hard it was going to be here. "I mean, if it was about me, you can just say so. And I will try to be cool if you guys were talking shit about me. I mean, I knew that Sam did that often."

A small part of Susan looked like she was lightening up at the fact that I took some enjoyment of the fact that my brother hated my fucking guts sometimes. It was even worse back then. But now it was seeming like we were finally starting to sort of repair the damage that had been caused through this whole thing. "Well, we were talking about where you guys lived before you moved here. I did not really know much about the place, so listening to him was fun and it was in mild part even educational." Susan said, and then after she had said that, she laughed, as if unable to believe that she had admitted this.

"Did he act like he was almost scared of the place that he lived at before? I think that this might be kind of important." I said, and then after I was asking her this, I was wondering what the fucking hell she was even wanting to say to me now. She was thinking about it for a few seconds, and after about ten to fifteen seconds, she was slowly nodding, as if sort of remembering it a bit more.

"He did not seem like he was super scared or anything, but if there was one way to describe the way that he had felt in a way that even I could be able to pin point is the fact that he was sounding kind of glad. That he was able to sort of just be able to move onto a new life. I thought, and I still kind of think, that he was just sort of glad that he did not have to deal with anything too rough, and that he was able to just let it all go." She said, and then she nodded, as if glad to remember the way that things truly had been.

"I just remember the final days that we were at the town we lived in before, and he was seeming like he was almost about to break down and lose his mind over what was going on. It was like he was literally living through a fucking hell in a way. I don't blame him for feeling like that, but at the same time, I was thinking that once we moved, we were able to sort of move it all behind us, and that he was just sort of wanting to make sure nothing could get much worse now." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was feeling like I was just grasping at straws that would not make any difference here.

"That seems like maybe he was going through some personal turmoil. I don't really know what it was that he went through, but I guess that maybe it did help lead a bit more into that paranoid personality that he had, so I guess that this is not too shocking." Susan was saying to me, and she was sort of looking like she was wishing to see what I was going to tell her there. If I had any real opinions on it.

"I bet that what you are saying is much more true than I want to admit. I mean, it seemed like nothing he would be doing would be keeping him feeling like he was totally safe and stuff." I said, and then after I had told her that, I did not know what she was going to truly want to say to me. "I mean, he was always talking about somebody who would meet up often with him, and how much that guy was feeling like he was watching him and stuff." I said, and then I was taking a deep breath, feeling like maybe I was sort of remembering something that would truly be important.

"He seemed like he was always wanting to make sure that nothing would be happening to me as well. As if he was fearing that there was almost nothing that I could do for myself in case things got, as he described it, really fucking bad. I don't know. I guess in a way, it does not matter now." Susan said, and then after that, we stared at each other for a few seconds.

We talked for about an hour or so about mundane things that were really not that important. Such as the first time they called themselves a couple, the prom incident which I keep mentioning, and some other things that did not matter at all. It eventually led to us having sex as a sort of coping mechanism, and this led to us spending the night together. However, when it was done, I stood up, and rubbed my eyes, unsure of what I had just done.

Once that unexpected turn of events was over, I was getting ready to be heading out, and I was telling myself that she deserved better than me and Sam. That we were terrible people, and that we would be just sort of ruining her lives without even fucking trying in the first place, and that she deserved a chance to be able to get the hell out of this stuff before it got too much worse. I was thinking that in a way, I was doing the right thing, and that nothing I did was wrong at all.

I was telling myself that maybe Susan was going to be able to forgive me for my choice right now, thinking that it was just me trying to sort of be a good person for once, and that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way that I was handling things in the slightest. I felt like in a way, I was sort of just in denial of me being a good man or not, but as I was sort of feeling like this, a large part of me was almost not even caring anymore.

I wished that maybe Susan was going to finally show me the way that I was needing to go with my life. Even if she did not know what she was doing, or plan on what she was doing, her own plans, and her own life was going to finally make me feel like I was going to be able to understand what was happening at all and stuff. I did not think that it was going to really get me anywhere what was to be coming from this.

I started to be heading along, sort of wondering what the fucking hell I was even going to have to try and do now. I was sort of telling myself that maybe this whole thing was meant to happen. But I was telling myself that if one of us was meant to die, it was going to need to be me, and that I was just needing to sort of find a way to be getting myself out of this shit, and to be getting myself away from the controversy that I was creating and all of that stuff.

I was eventually telling myself that I was not really ready to be going back home yet, and that this was something that I was needing to fucking sort out on my own. I wanted to find out who did this to Sam, and what was going to need to happen in order to make it very clear that I was not to be fucked with. I was going to make sure that the men and women behind what happened to him were going to have a enemy, and that I was going to be their enemy until they knew what they did was wrong.

I did not really think there was even the smallest chance in the world that he had killed himself. I was absolutely certain that he was killed. There was literally no way in the world it would have made sense for him to be killing himself. I knew for a fact that it was just impossible. I had to be telling myself that this was just the one fucking thing that I was telling myself to be sort of making sense out of this whole thing. I was wishing that I was able to sort of fucking get along with everything else, but at the same time, I was sort of just feeling like I was all going to be totally fine and stuff.

I was thinking that maybe Brad was going to be able to help me out. If for nothing else, he would be here and he would be able to pin point some of the insanity that was going on here, and that was all that I had truly needed more than anything else in the fucking world. It was all that I was even really wanting. Was to see if Brad knew if there was a way that he was going to be able to help me out in the slightest. If Brad was able to just simply give me some advice.

I did not really know if I was going to be able to get him fully on board with everything that was going on, but at the same time, a small part of me was almost finding myself not even caring. I just wanted to find some way to put it all behind me, and he was seeming to be the only one who knew what I was going to be totally needing and stuff. I was just sort of in denial. And I was willing to admit that denial, but in a way I was feeling like the denial was healthy.

I was thinking that when I would get him on my side, I would actually have a small chance to be able to have a person who was going to actually care what I had felt. I was thinking that if I was going to get anything done, I was going to need to act like it was not a totally lost cause. I wanted to have Brad at my side, no matter what was going to happen, and I was wanting to have somebody be there for me if it turned out that I was wrong about who killed him, or if he was killed at all.

I was getting closer to the house, and when I was thinking about what I would see, I thought about that younger kid, and I was wondering if he deserved to be brought into something that he had no idea about. Just because I would not leave his brother alone, and I was going to be acting like he was the one who would be able to solve every problem that I had here and stuff.

I was eventually at the door of Brad's house, and then I knocked on the door, feeling like I was ready for whatever was to be coming up next. I was telling myself that if that kid was there, he was going to deserve better than a reaction from me acting like what was going on with him was some terrible thing, and like he was a gross fucker or something like that.

Eventually, before I was needing to think about it more, that was when Brad had answered my door, and I was wondering what he was going to even want to tell me in the first place. He was just thinking about what I was even going to have to say to him to make him feel like I was not going to just be making things any worse for him. "Can you please be able to help me out right now? I think that there is something much deeper than either one of us going on right now." I said, and then after I admitted that, I was sort of wondering what Brad was going to even want to say to this now. I was seeing him sort of looking like he was willing to give me a chance to explain.

"What is going on?" Brad asked, almost as if he was just wanting to get this over with, that there was no way in hell I was going to be able to come up with something that was going to be making him feel like it was worth the fight in the first place. I was just feeling like when Brad would ask me something else, everything would start to be coming together much more than I was sort of wanting it to.

"Well, the truth is that Sam died recently. His body was found in the soccer field last night, and I have no idea what the fucking hell to say. I mean, I did not ever expect something like this to happen, and now I am here, wondering what the fucking hell is is going on that is making any of this happen in the first place. It is much too hard to understand." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing brad looking like he was getting instantly serious on what I was saying.

"Oh my god Ken, is there something that you need right now? You know, to sort of help you out and stuff." After he had said that to me, I was unsure of what I would be telling him, and I was thinking that there was no point in lying about the way that I had been feeling right now. I felt like shit, and that was why I went to him, as well as the feeling that he was going to be able to go around and actually help me out putting this together.

"Yeah, I think that I need to figure out what the fucking hell is truly going on here. People are saying that it was a suicide, and I refuse to believe that something like this is going on, and that something must have happened to me. I mean, Sam was not the perfect man at all, but he was never wanting to kill himself at all and stuff." I said, and then I was wondering what would be happening if I was going to be taking this slowly, and take this harder than I had ever expected to be taking it.

"I mean, what do you think is going to be happening if you look into this, and you start to see that maybe he was indeed just killing himself? I mean, surely there must be less to this than we are fearing." Brad was saying, and he was clearly trying to be sounding better for himself, but he was clearly unsure of what was going to be going down now, and he was not wanting to admit something like this no matter what.

"Brad, I know that it may be hard to be going into, but we need to remember the fact that we were forced to be fighting a man who wanted to make us work for some fucking messed up business and stuff. I just think that maybe we need to see that something like this might indeed be possible. I think we have to at least consider that some monster out there thought that maybe Sam was me, and decided to kill him to react to what had happened and stuff." I was saying, and I was wondering what Brad would be saying to something like this, if there was anything to say at all.

"I mean, I guess that something like this might have a chance of being real and stuff. But I just don't know. I mean, if there is somebody here who might be coming after you, do you think that you might have to start to try and get ready for something like this? Try to be ready for any fight that might be coming up?" Brad asked me, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing him sort of looking like he was wanting to see what I would tell him.

"I have a feeling that there will be a fight that I will have to fight. But in a way, I will be kind of glad that something like this might be coming up. To sort of prove myself that I am going to be able to keep it together. To keep it down to a level of certainty that I will be totally ready for and stuff. I think that I need your help. I need your help to figure out what might be going on here. To see if there is a person who was going around, who had killed Sam. And if there was, what I can maybe do to stop this from continuing and stuff." I was sort of wondering what was to be going on now.

"I don't really want to admit that something like this is possible. I think that admitting this is only going to be making things much worse for everybody around us. But that being said, I do have to admit that maybe there is a small amount of merit to your proposal. I mean, there is a chance that somebody could be after you, and what would you do then?" After Brad was saying this, I saw him looking lost. He was looking inside of the house, looking to think about Tucker a bit. And if he was going to be able to keep him safe. Then he was looking right at me, and he was looking like he had a lot to think about.

"Alright, I will help you out for the time being. Because I trust that you are going to be knowing what you are talking about here. I don't really know what to say here. I think that this entire situation might be one really messed up situation. But I believe deep down that you might be onto something here." Brad was admitting, and after I was seeing him say this, I was clearly seeing that admitting that was the hardest thing that he wanted to admit in his entire fucking life.

"I just have to keep it clear that I need to keep my family safe. I mean, figuring out what happened to yours is going to be great and everything, but if it gets to the point where helping you is going to get in the way of keeping my own safe, then I have to stop." Brad made his voice very clear, and I was aware of the point that he was trying to make here, and that there was no illusion that he was making now.

"I heard you loud and clear. And I will not be fighting you on this. I am glad that you are still willing to be giving me a chance at least." I said, and then after I had told Brad that, I was seeing him looking down, sort of unsure of if this was going to be worth it, but at the same time, he was thinking that maybe the truth could be able to prepare him for the future better than he was wishing to admit that it would.

"But now that we are understood, and we are aligned with each other, I think that maybe we just have to get right to the point now." Brad said, and he was getting closer to his car. As he was opening up the drivers seat, he was sitting down, and then he took out a cigarette. Something that he took up in spades after the prom incident.

I sat down in the passenger seat, and I was wanting to know if he ever really cared about the fact that this was something that was going to be getting him killed, or if it was just a mute point that people would be making if they tried to get him to stop. "I think that the first place to look would obviously be the soccer field. There must be something there that is left behind. Honestly, there is no way that everything was picked up yet." I said, partly in denial, and partly because what I was saying sounded like it had made so much sense here.

"Yeah, let's go there right now right away. I have a feeling that there might be some cars there or something, but that once we are able to avoid getting detected, even they will not be so bad." Brad said, and then I closed the car door. Brad was strapping on his seat belt. "You know, I never really was worried for my own life until a few months ago. When everything around me started to look like it was on the verge of falling apart. And now I am happy for every single day that I get to have a chance to live. Because I know that it will only be a matter of time before everything that I have been going through is gone, and that it will all come down to a halt. I mean, I do not want to think about what I will be dying and stuff. But I feel like I have to." After Brad had said that, he was looking right at me, and he was wondering what I felt on the matter.

"I have been living with that fear for almost four years now. Ever since I first got involved in some deals that I thought were going to go off without a hitch turned into a botched up mess. But I guess that the things that threaten to kill me change over time, and I get new enemies to replace the older ones that I have and stuff." I said, and then after I had told Brad that, I was wondering what he was going to be saying to me, and if there was any desire to speak in a way at all.

"I have no idea how you can be living like that. It sounds like a fucking nightmare. But I guess that people have a different way of handling things than I do. I guess that I will never be like you." Brad said, and then he shook his head, knowing that he would never be a good man in his own eyes.

He started up the car, wondering what was going to be happening now. As he was starting to drive on towards the field, I was sort of seeing him sort of looking like he was getting more and more at peace with the situation that he was in. Almost as if he was actually thinking that there was a chance that he could repair the mess that he had already been going in.

Eventually we were parked at the soccer field, and once we were there, that was when Brad was looking right at me, and he was looking like he was just trying to find something else to say that would make it seem like he was aware of how we were going to get to help each other out. I was just sort of feeling like no matter what was about to be going down, Brad would not have any words of advice to help me out, which I guess that I would not even be able to blame them on.

"Just stay here. You know, not get in danger or anything like that. I just hope that you guys are going to be totally fine and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to Brad, I was opening up the door, sort of telling myself that nothing else was going to matter. I needed to find a way to keep him safe, while also enabling him to still be able to help me out in a way that did not make him feel like he was stepping into boundaries that he wanted nothing to do with.

I was then getting inside of the field, and when I was looking around, I saw that there was log strand of the caution tape laid out around the area of where the body would be. I was taking a deep breath, just glad over the fact that no matter what was going to be happening, I did not have to look at his dead body, and that he was going to be safe that way. In a way, I guess that there was one thing about this whole situation that could have made this go much worse.

I was seeing the tape that would show the outline of the body, and then I bent down to be looking right above it, and I felt like staring at this was not going to be helping me at all. It was not going to be getting me any where closer to finding out the truth, and I was feeling like doing this was for better or for worse, just sort of going to be a waste of my fucking time.

As I was standing up, sort of wondering what was to be coming along now, that was when there was somebody that was jumping right at me. I was shocked to see this happening, and I did not have a moment to really be able to defend myself as they pushed me right down to the ground, and then punched me right in the face. I kicked them right off of me, and then I was seeing a knife on the ground, near where the body used to be and I felt it was strange that it was there and not a gun. But then a small part of me thought it might have been this guys knife. I picked up the knife, and then I put it in my pocket, knowing that I needed it.

I saw that the person was not even noticing what I had done, and that maybe this was going to give me a chance to have a one up at them in case if things were going to be getting stranger, and in case if I was needing to find a way to be fighting extra hard and stuff. Before I had a moment to truly react, he came up to me and punched me several times in the face.

I barely had a time to react to most of them and then when I finally had time to react to one, I balled up my own fists, and then I punched him in the face a few times myself. I was ready to take him down, and I was wondering if this was the one who had killed Sam, and was here to clean up the mess that he had made, and saw that I was here, and thought that taking me out was going to be a extra bonus to everything so far.

I saw him looking at me as he was holding his nose a bit, and I noticed that after all of this, I had actually made it bleed a bit. This was going to be able to give me a sort of higher ground for most of the next steps in this. I then kicked him in the face, and then he fell right down to the ground as well. I was feeling like I was almost ready to be fighting this guy, and making him suffer for the pain that he had caused me and my family. Under the assumption that it was him in the first place.

Then with that happening, and I was sort of basking in my victory for a moment, I was seeing him getting up, and he was looking like he had a wild fire in his eyes. Almost as if he was wanting to kill me for everything that I had just done to him. Then he lunged at me and then I was now the one on the ground again, and then he started punching me over and over again on the chest, and each time that he was doing this, the more that I was feeling like I was about to have a broken rib or something, and I was just telling myself that the knife was going to help.

I basically just needed to get a second to myself so that I can be able to take it out, and I would be able to stab him that way. And then once I did that, I would finally be able to take him out. So that was going to be the nest step to this whole thing. Getting that fucking knife and taking him out like this. I did not know if I could be able to have a chance, but I needed to try at least.

I was sort of just trying to be finding a way to be going forward with this whole thing. I was pushing them up off of me and then as they were finally getting a inch or so away from me, I slammed his face on the ground, even though I knew it was only grass and dirt under it. I did not care though. I was ready to be doing whatever it would be taking in order to make them punished, and to make them suffer.

I was getting closer and closer to getting this guy down. I punched his bloody nose right again, and I was wanting to make him suffer before I would take him out. I did not want to be killing anybody, but in a way, I was sort of feeling like I was justified in everything that would be fucking happening coming up soon. I felt like no matter how much I was going to feel bad for killing a man, I was going to be feeling like it was the right choice, and it was the choice that I had to be making if I wanted to bring peace in mind to what was going on with me.

He was grabbing my face a bit, and I was seeing him knee me in the chest, and then I was groaning a bit at this, just telling myself that I needed to focus on the bigger picture, and not on the supplemental pain that he was giving me by doing this. To acknowledge the pain was going to be letting him win, and I was not going to let him do that. I was not going to let him win at the very end of this. I was going to make him suffer, and that was all that I wanted in my entire life right now.

Eventually, I was starting to pull out the knife and this was when he was looking a bit shocked at what was going on, and that there was a ever so small trace of fear coming along in his face, as if doing something like this was going to be the end of his life. He was a smart little bastard, and I was going to be getting what I wanted when I tried hard enough.

Then with that, I stabbed him right on the side. Not only did I stab him, but I kept doing it. I did it three or four times before I was feeling like I was having a good amount to kill him. Then with that, I stood up, and then I was picking up the body. Despite what I had felt about him, I felt like I needed to know the truth. I needed to see why he did what he had done, and how I can punish him for this.

"Why did you do this to him? Why did you do this to me and every single other person who had known Sam?" I asked, and I was wondering if he was going to be going along with what I was asking him. if he was wishing to even speak with me in the first place. He coughed a little bit, and when he had done that, I was seeing him looking like he was wishing to find a way to make me listen to him. To see if I was going to actually take any of what he was telling us seriously in the slightest.

"Oh man, I did not kill Sam. I was given a contract to kill you to make sure that you would never find him though. I know some people who would be thinking that you are a terrible plague on their journey to salvation." He had told me, and then after he had said that, I was wondering what the fucking hell he was even meaning, and I just felt like I had to see where he was going to be going on this now.

"But who did it? Can you give me any ideas on where I should be going?" I asked, and then I was wondering what the hell he was even wanting to say. He was smiling at me, as if thinking that there was something really funny that was going on that he was too scared to tell me. He was almost thinking that if he would tell me, I might just freak out and not believe in him or something. Which was perhaps a relatively valid assumption to be making.

"The man who had done this was a man wearing a purple jacket. He had come to me because he said that he trusted my abilities to be able to handle a job well. After all I am somebody who has been in many fights before and has made no real problem or after math in what I did. If you had been killed, you would have been buried right away, and it would have been like nothing ever fucking happened at all." After he was saying this to me, I saw him sort of looking as if he was wanting to see what I was going to be telling him now at this point in time. I was in denial at what he had told me about the purple jacket. In my mind, there was no way that it was going to be that person at all.

"How the fucking hell did you meet that man in the first place? Why would he even want to be going after us anyways? I mean, I thought that my family had left him alone enough to justify the idea of him pushing us away and stuff." After I was saying this to that man, I saw the man looking right at me, as if sort of finding the stuff that I was saying to be a little bit sad. That I had known so little about what was even going on around me.

"He came to me. I never was the one that personally met him. I was minding my own business, doing my own job, and he came to me with an envelope and some money and said that he would pay me if I would listen to him and take his job. So I listened to him, and regardless of what is going on right now, I needed the money, so I would take him up on the offer, and I do not regret what I did, because I knew for a fact that I had to do this." The man said, and then I was rubbing my eyes, as if baffled by the fact that he was saying that being paid was a good excuse to go around and try to kill me.

"I don't know who he was, but it did not matter. I felt like once I did my job, and I got the money, we could be able to move along. Besides, a part of me was sort of thinking that there must have been something that you did to sort of justify what was going on here and as a result, I figured that I would just do what was asked of me." After he was saying this to me, I was just trying my utter best to be holding my anger back, unsure of what to say now.

"But what was going on? Do you really think that he might have actually been actually asking you to do something good? I think that maybe you got yourself into a tough situation just because you did not want to face any other option, and I do not really know how I am supposed to be feeling about such a thing." I was telling him, just wishing that maybe what I was saying was going to make him regret what he had told me.

"We live in a town that takes pride in the crime and the pain that it causes. We take pride in the fact that we commit sins on a daily basis, and you are going to be angry at this. Are you going to forget the fact that you yourself tried to be coming off as some big hero, somebody who was breaking the law to take care of other people who had been breaking the law? Don't you think that what you are saying could just a little bit hypocritical here?" He asked me, and I looked down, not wanting to admit that what he was saying did have a small level of truth to it, since doing so was going to admit a big weakness of mine and stuff.

"I did what I had to. I knew that nobody else was going to try and clean up this town, and that I had to at least give it a try. I tried to be a hero, and I tried to be somebody who would make a difference for the better. You are nowhere the same as me. I did what I thought was right." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what the fucking hell they were even wanting to tell me now, and if there was anything that I can say to get them to listen to me.

"It is all a matter of perspective I guess. I had tried to help myself and other people that I cared out, while you were thinking that you were helping the city out. I think that in the end, we just do what we can in order to live another day in this town. There is nothing that is going on right now that is all that different." After he had told me this, I was seeing him looking at me as if he really wanted me to think about the point he had raised.

I looked around, and I was not wanting to admit it, but I was feeling like maybe there was a valid point to what he was saying. That I really was only helping out people on a certain perspective of things. "Well at least I was trying. At least I felt like I was doing the right thing, and if that is something that people are going to call me a monster for, then while I would not understand it, I would have to admit that maybe there is a level of truth to this. But what you did was entirely selfish. You did not try to help anybody out. You were only in it to gain something on your own."

"Despite what you may be thinking, that is still no different from you. You did something that would gain your own perception of doing something good here. In the end, you were just as selfish as I was. The only difference was the presentation of it. At least I had the balls to be truthful about it." He told me, and then I was just wishing that this man would shut up, and that he would get off my case about it all.

"You are acting like this is going to be making us the same right now? It is not going to be doing that. You are just acting like we have so much in common when we don't." I said, and then the man coughed again and said one final statement to me.

"One day you will see the irony of what I am saying. In fact, even if you do not want to admit it, I have a feeling that you already have. And that you are just sort of wanting to act like none of this is really even happening at all." After he had said this, he was closing his eyes. That was when Brad came onto the field, and was looking like he was needing to discuss something very serious with me.

"Hey Ken, are you going to be ready to head out? I mean, I had my doubts, but it seems like you are right. I listened to that entire thing, and I feel bad for telling you that something like this is not going on. If you need me to try and help you, then you can just tell me what is going on." Brad said, and then after he was saying that, and he was clearly just trying to hide the shock that he was facing, I was feeling like I needed to try and be patient with him no matter what.

"I guess that I will be heading out now. Since in all honesty, I have no idea what to be doing right now. It all just feels so strange. Knowing that I was right. Knowing that a man murdered Sam. My older brother, and I am unsure of what to be doing right now. I need to find a way to know the truth. But now that I know that I am actually dealing with a killer, I am suddenly not so sure on where this is going." I said, and then after I was saying that, I had wondered what was to be coming along now.

"Well let's just find a way to not die right now. I mean, like you said, you are literally dealing with a killer. Do you really think that you can be ready for something like this now?" Brad asked, and then after he had said that, he was looking right at me. That was when I was feeling like something was coming to my mind. Something that I needed to address for him, for his own safety, since I wanted nothing to do with making this worse for him.

"You saw me do this. The man who killed Sam knows that you are involved. He might be going out after you right now. You are no longer safe, and you are going to have to fight for yourself and your friends and family. I am sorry for doing this. If you want to be able to find a way to get out of this, to make sure that nothing happens to you or your family, I would not be angry at you, and I will just let you leave." I said, and I was wondering what was to be coming along now.

"I want to know how I can be able to help you. See if I can truly make a difference in making it so that nothing happens to you." Brad said, and I did not really think that there was any need to be saying anything else to him. In all honesty, I felt like there was a good chance that he was not going to be able to make it through this, and I had felt like I needed to be prepared for this.

"I know that I brought you into this, but at the same time, I do not really know if I am going to be ready for something to happen to you. Something that could very well get in the way of your own family and stuff. I mean, I lost a family member, and I might be losing the trust of the others with the fact that I have not returned or made any attempt to talk with them. I do not want something to happen to yours. I want to make sure they are at least safe until you continue this with me." I said, and then after I had told him that, I was looking at him a bit.

"If they are still fine by tonight, then you can meet me at this field, and we will discuss our next move. If they are not safe, then you need to be focused on them first. I will be placing my time and faith on this until I truly know much more than all of this stuff." After I told Brad this, I was seeing Brad sort of looking like he was actually sort of listening to me a bit more, and then he was telling himself that he was needing to go with this now.

"Yeah, I will listen to you. I will see how my family is doing, and every night that they seem safe, I will meet up with you until either they are in danger, we're dead, or the case is solved." Brad said, and then he was holding his hand out as if thinking that we were making a good deal here. I took it and shook it back, thinking that this was better than nothing at all, and that I needed to be cool with what was going on here.

"Thank you for listening to me. I will see what I can learn today and will let you know everything that I have learned by then." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was wondering where this was going to be going now. If anything was even needing to be done now. Or if I was just going to be left behind on everything else now.

"See you tonight. Or hopefully I will be seeing you tonight." With that, Brad was heading out of the field, and I was seeing him looking like he was just not too sure what he was feeling right now. If he was supposed to be angry, or if he was sort of feeling like he had been doing what he could, and that he was doing a good job holding out the offer that he had placed forward at this point. I felt like this was a good starting point, and that it was something that we were needing to be going with and stuff.

As Brad was alone, I had debated deeply with myself on everything that was going on. I just felt like virtually nothing else was going to be helping me out on all of this. So with that, I decided that maybe it was time for me to be heading home, and when I would be at the house for a few hours, perhaps I can feel like I was going to be able to rest. If such a thing were even possible. But the more that I headed out, that was when I was seeing Brad's car coming right towards me. I had felt like if he was wanting to talk for a bit, I would listen to him, and see how things would go.

"Ken, I was just thinking about some things, if you were willing to listen to me on the stuff. If you would be willing to give me a chance." After he had said that to me, I was looking right at him, sort of unsure of what was going to be even happening. I felt like I was just needing to see if Brad had any real plans. But before I could think on it too much, I went inside of the car, feeling like U could spare a few minutes.

"What is it that you were wanting to talk about?" I asked, feeling like I just had to see where this was even going to head now. But then I was thinking that what Brad would be telling me would be really important, and that he was just trying to be my friend, and that I needed to help him with his feelings.

"Well, I was wanting to tell you something. I mean, I think that it might actually be important. Something going on with this town. Something going on with my mind. I mean, I have noticed it for a little while, but it only got much worse in recent months. Starting around when prom had happened. If you can believe how fucking convenient something like this might be." Brad said, as he pointed right at the side of his head. I decided that I needed to give him a chance at the very least.

"What is it? Is it something related to your head?" I asked Brad, hoping that the answer would be no. If the answer was yes, then I would not be ready for what was to be coming next, since I had a feeling that I had known exactly what the hell he was going to want to tell me here.

"Yes, it is something going on in my head. I can't properly describe it besides the fact that it is a large amount of pain. Like more pain than literally anybody in the world should be forced to endure. I have literally been feeling it in some form of subtle fashion since I was about twelve years old or so. But it has only gotten worse in recent years. Ever since prom, it is been something that would get bad maybe once every month to six weeks, but now it is something I feel at least once or twice a week. And after prom happened, for a while, it was every single fucking day." Brad said, shaking his head, and he was just looking like he did not even want to think about what was to come from talking more.

"How did you even start the pain in the first place?" I asked and then I took a long sigh, feeling like perhaps this was something that was really important after all. Something that I really needed to listen to, since if I was correct, this was actually sort of tying right into something that Sam was telling me. And I hated myself for not noticing it earlier. "I think that Sam had told me about something like this, and I did not take much notice of it. I thought that maybe he was just over hyping it or something."

"Well, I can't remember when it started, as much as I can remember the last period of time when I did not really have it. I was twelve years old when I remember the last time never having it. I remember something like a news broad cast coming up, and it was talking about that one fight from the hospital. Do you remember something like that?" Brad looked at me, as if giving me permission to speak.

"I do. Very vaguely do I remember something like that. It was a huge deal, but now nobody seemed to be discussing it. Why do you bring it up?" I asked, and then Brad was nodding, as if glad to know that I was not sort of denying him what was going on right now. That I was sort of able to be aware of what was happening and stuff.

"Yes, thank you for confirming that I am not insane. Anyways, back to my story at hand. I was watching that, and Tucker was in bed that night. I did not think much of it. But I got a visit from the mayor, and when he visited me, he talked to me for a long while about some things that I should be doing to help him out. I did not think much of it, but I knew that perhaps he was just not going to be leaving me alone on this. So I listened to him. As he was leaving, he gave me a piece of candy and I ate it." Brad said, and then he shrugged, as if thinking that perhaps it sounded silly, but it was all he knew of this.

"I think that perhaps we got to figure out what is going on here. I think that if we figure out what the source to this really in, then perhaps the two of us can be able to figure out what we are supposed to do in the long run with your case into Sam." He said, and then after he had said that to me, I was wondering what I should be saying. I mean, I would be lying if I said that I felt like what he was telling me was totally crazy. But I just did not know if these two cases can be tied.

And yet, a small part of me was feeling like it was going to be better than nothing at all. I was feeling like I needed to give this a try. I needed to at least see where I can be able to pull this whole thing together. "I think that maybe this could actually work. I mean, if for nothing else, we need to try. Just to see if perhaps there can be any connection." I said, and then after I was saying that to Brad, he was looking to me, as if so happy that I was finally working with him on something like this.

"Thank you very much. I think that the faster that I can be able to put this whole thing behind me, the better that it will be." He had said, and then after he had said that to me, I was wondering where this was even going to go. I just felt like the fact that Brad gave me this, even some start, could make it so much easier for us all.

"I think that maybe you can ask the mayor about something like this. Or perhaps the police. I mean, surely one of those two might be able to give you a good start on what to do with this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering if Brad was going to be shooting me down on something like this. I did not really think that he was wanting to make this harder on me or anything, but I was just thinking that this whole thing was rather intense.

"I don't think that either one of them would be very keen on helping me. Especially since one of those two, the mayor, might be the one behind this, and I do not know if I want to confront him. But I guess that maybe this is not a wanting matter as much as a needing matter. So I guess that maybe we need to at least give this a try." Brad shook his head, wondering what was going to be coming along now. I was thinking that we just had to try. Brad was starting the car, and he drove slowly towards the mayors office.

As we eventually parked, I was wondering what was going to be happening now. I felt like I was just going to have to see what Brad would even ask of the mayor. If there was anything he even wanted to know about this pain that the mayor could enlighten him on, or if he was just going to quit part of the way through and just say that it was a mere coincidence.

We got out of the car, and I was just sort of wanting to stay back in case this got real ugly, since I knew the way that the mayor did his own things, and I knew that the mayor was not really somebody to be messed with. I knew that he was quite the opposite in fact. But I just had no real clue on how I was going to even take this whole thing now. "Brad, just go easy, and maybe he will be more open to listen to you proposals." I said, wondering if he would even want to hear this.

"I will do whatever it has to take. I don't care what the methods are, and I don't care if they are considered rough or anything. This man may be responsible for the reason that I have been in pain the last several months. The reason that maybe your brother has felt this way. It all may connect to Sam's death, and I am not going to let go just because I want to play nice or anything." Brad said, and I was shocked at this stern ness at everything.

Once inside of the building, I was sort of ready for whatever was to be coming next. I did not know what was to be happening, and in a way, I was thinking that I may as well let Brad run his own show considering everything that had been going on. I was thinking that perhaps he had every right to be the way that he was.

As we were inside of the office, that was when the district attorney was walking by us. He looked at us, as if he was thinking about what to say now, and that he was thinking we were looking like a dumpster fire. Which to be fair, I was, and Brad had looked angry for the last several minutes. "The mayor is busy right now. Maybe we can talk for a bit."

I was looking at Brad, as if silently pleading him to let this be enough. He was looking at the district attorney, and then he nodded, as if thinking that if for nothing else, this would be able to give him a chance to spread 'a message' to the mayor in case things went bad. So with that, they went inside of the attorneys office.

"What is it that you wanted the mayor to address?" The attorney asked. Now I knew that the attorney was a relatively normal dude in most cases. Probably early to mid thirties, blonde haired, looked like he had finally just gotten through the acne phase, and wore a normal suit attire. The point is that you would not think there was anything wrong with him. But if I knew something about the town, it was that it was hard to believe nobody had nothing going on.

"I want to talk to him about some problems that I have been having here. You know, problems with my brain and stuff. My friend just had his older brother die, and I think that there might be some connection to him and I. He had been murdered, and I think that it is finally time that somebody looks into what is going on here, and perhaps even properly addresses it like the police should have been doing here." Brad said, and then the attorney looked at Brad as if thinking his complaints were borderline cute.

"I don't think that the mayor can be able to help you. In all honesty, it is none of his business to be looking into things such as dead brothers. He is supposed to be doing actually important things, like watching over the city. And besides, if you are going to be coming in with something like head aches as your excuse, then you probably need to find something else to go with." He said, and then Brad was trying to keep his temper at a level of normalcy.

"Listen to me, the man gave me something several years ago, and it has never made me the same man again. I think that I have a right to at least talk with him. Besides, the mayor is said to watch the town, like you said, and maybe figuring out what is going on here who killed these people, is going to be able to do just this. And if you want to argue with me, then maybe you should have never been the attorney." After Brad said that, I was seeing the other guy just looking like he was a bit annoyed with the way that Brad was acting.

"Maybe when he has time, he will address you, but for the time being, he can't waste any time on this. And please, I know who you are. I know what you are doing on a normal basis. Don't even bother giving me that disabled brother sob story to make us look into something. Because nobody besides you gives a shit." After he had said that to Brad, this was when I was seeing Brad standing up, as if glad that now he had material to go off of with making this guy suffer.

Brad walked right behind the man, and then slammed his face right down on the ground. Then after that, he lifted it up for a second before slamming it down again, and made the man scream in pain. Then he grabbed the left arm of the attorney, and after a couple of seconds of applying pressure, caused a cracking noise. Then after that, he placed the mans index finer at the paper cutter. I was looking at him, shocked at the fact that he was doing this in the first place.

"Do you promise me that you will let me have an appointment with the fucking mayor? Do you think that I am still messing around and stuff?" Brad asked, and the attorney was starting to speak a bit more, only doing it for his own safety.

"I believe you. You have made your point. You wish to speak with the mayor. I will set up something for you. We can be reasonable about this whole thing." The man said to Brad, and then Brad was pressing the cutter down, nearly hitting the finger. "I can set it up for you tomorrow, and make it a immediate emergency meeting."

"Good. Do you promise me that you will not talk shit about my brother again and that you actually plan on helping me figure this out?" Brad questioned a bit deeper, as the attorney started to stutter out more words to make Brad seemingly calm down for a moment. Which gave Brad a lot of pleasure to watch.

"I will see what I can do. I don't think that I can make any promises though. I mean, I am a very busy man right now." The attorney said, and then Brad was lowering the thing and starting to cut the mans finger a bit. I was wanting to stop him, but at the same time, I could not help but feel this man had something to do with what was going on, so I did not try.

"Fine. I will set aside some time if you will just let it go. I had no intention on making you angry. I thought that you just needed a better platform to be going on. But I guess that perhaps I was wrong about you." He said, wanting to cry a bit, and then Brad was thinking about it a bit longer.

Before I could stop him, or before he could have a second to think about it, Brad slammed the paper cutting fully down, cutting the tip of the mans finger off. "You better hold your end to the promise, or else I will take more." Brad said, and then he looked at the attorney. "Appointment tomorrow. Do it if you want to keep the rest of the finger." With that, Brad and I left the office, and he was looking right at me. "Went better than I expected. Better hold his end to the deal. We should meet with Sheldon. See what he has to say to this." Then we went in the car to get ready.

As we were eventually back at the gas station, Brad was looking like he was ready for business and stuff. I was shocked that this whole thing was actually coming together in such a perfect sense. Almost like it was just too good to be true and stuff. But in the end, I was sort of feeling like I needed to try and be there for Brad. Once inside the station, Sheldon was looking right at us, wondering what to be saying now.

"Hey, how are you two doing?" Sheldon said, and he was looking like he was kind of ready to be seeing if there were going to be any big fucking fights coming along. Almost as if he was thinking that something like this was going to be genuinely exciting and stuff. Brad was thinking that he would take the show since he knew Sheldon better anyways.

"I have been helping Ken deal with some problems with his brother right now. It turned out that he ended up dead, and we are looking into figuring out where this whole fucking thing really fucking will be and stuff." Brad said, and he was looking at Sheldon, as if curious to see what his gas station working friend was going to be telling him. Sheldon looked like there was not much more to be saying, but at the same time, he was clearly interested to see what was coming from this.

"That is awful. I mean, I hope that you will be able to find some peace in mind and stuff. I hope that this does not get any worse, since I know what it is like to lose a sibling, and then have it all go down a hill of pain and misery." Sheldon said, nodding, feeling like this was the most he needed to describe of the event and stuff. But at the same time, he was just wanting to see what was to be coming now.

"What happened with you, if you are willing to tell me? I mean, I think that it might be important to know what the people around me have gone through." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what the hell he was even going to be saying. If he was even planning to say much at all. Or perhaps he was just wanting to keep this to himself for once.

"Well, I had a older sister who went missing. Soon enough, she died, and that was something that I would later learn, and I would have to get used to. I mean, that is pretty much all that I need to know right now." After Sheldon had said that to us, I was wondering if I was even needing to let him continue going on at this. He was looking like the very thought of the truth was getting to him just a bit more.

"I am sorry to hear that. But I was wondering if you perhaps had any information that could be related to the case of Sam, and something that could lead to what can help me learn of his death? I mean, if you can be able to help me have a start, then I can be able to find a way to make some sense out of this whole madness, and I can be able to help put this behind me. And give a good answer to the rest of the group." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing Sheldon looking like he was wanting to say more, but that he was scared of everything here.

"The two of us talked for a while back in the day. And a few months ago, we briefly had another connection again. We teamed up once more in a way that I was not expecting. The entire time that he had been working with this guy, Sam then talked a bit about some guy in a purple jacket. I did not really think too much onto this whole thing. I did not really know what was going on, and I felt like it was not much of my business, but I asked him if he had any plans to go out after it. He said that he would not want to because he felt like it would the scariest thing he would ever go with." After he had said that to me, I was wondering what was going to be happening next. I was just feeling like I had to know.

"Did he tell you much about that man? Or did he just say that he was being simply followed by him and stuff? I think that this could be able to help me if you know more about it." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was wondering what the hell this guy was going to tell me. I felt like I had to find a way to learn about what was even happening in the first place. I just felt like we had a long way to be going now.

"He was saying that this guy had been around for about three years or something like that. Tried to get him to go into this different dimension or some shit like that. I don't really remember too much about it. The whole thing seemed a bit silly to me. But I guess that people are just too scared to come up any real answers at hand." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing Sheldon looking like he was not sure what was to come up here.

"I think that maybe you should not be forced to something like this. I think that you should just go along and just do what you want. That way you have a chance to be able to survive." Sheldon said, and then I was looking right at him, and I knew that he was not going to like what I was going to tell him. He would tell me that this was insane, but I felt like I was just going to have to try in order to make it look like I was ahead of the game now.

"I do want to figure this out, and that is why I think that pursuing this case is the only way that I am going to be having a chance to survive. I mean, I do not expect you to understand, but it is what I have to be doing right now." I said, and then after I had told him that, I was looking out the window, and I was seeing that there was a car parking. As I looked at the car, I knew that this was going to be getting a lot more intense soon, and that I needed to get right to the point.

"I think that if I wanted to make something like this work, I would be sort of forced into something like this. I would have to try harder. But I guess that this whole thing is just a bit crazy to imagine. I think that it might be hard to imagine a person sort of doing something dangerous in order to find peace of mind. It seems to be a little contradictory in all honesty." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what was going to go down and stuff.

Eventually, that was when there was a person inside of the gas station. I was seeing that the guy was having a gun inside of his pocket. I knew that this guy was going to be a dangerous factor if we ended up letting him do something. But for the time being, I was feeling like I needed to go on and give this a try. I mean, if I did not find something to do with him, he was going to be killing Sheldon and Brad, and I did not want that on my mind.

"Well, I guess that if you want to work it out, I will not stop you. I just don't understand how somebody besides me would be willing to put their life on the line for something. I guess that maybe I just have to see that I am not the only crazy person in this world." Sheldon said, and then I was seeing the guy who just recently came in starting to put his hand at the gun. Before he was able to react, I took out my knife and stabbed him right in the hand, and then I quickly took the other knife out and stabbed his side chest a bit. I felt like this was going to be my way to make him stop doing this. Then I sat him down the chair near me, where Brad, Sheldon and I could debate with him.

"Now tell me what it is that you are doing here? Can you tell me what is happening right now, and what your motives really are?" I asked, and then after I had asked this man that question, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to just tell me to fuck off, but that something like this was not going to be getting him very far, so he was just not going to even bother with it.

"I was told by my boss to clean up the mess that I had made here, and I was thinking about just not even trying to do anything else besides just coming in and shooting you and letting you die. But I guess that maybe I did a bad job hiding the gun. I guess that maybe it was just not meant to be." He said, and then he smiled at me. Almost thinking that this was actually a little bit interesting.

"What does your boss look like? Maybe we can be able to go on and pay him a visit." Sheldon said, and then he was sitting down right in front of the guy, as if wanting to see what this man was going to say now. Since he had three people around him, he knew that if he wanted the bare smallest chances to survive, he had to work with us now.

"He is somebody who wears a red flower on his jacket, and I was never really able to see his face. It was too hidden by the shadows. I have always been doing jobs given to me by him. Such as going down to a fucking house and meeting with some people to perform one night stands. Every time he gives me a job, I have no choice but to go with it. I mean, I just don't think that anybody would really understand what it would be like to just be given a job by somebody you can just tell has more authority over you. So much so that the very idea of going against them would be almost on par with the dumbest idea you ever could come up with." He said, and then he was just moaning a bit more, unsure of what to say.

"A red flower? You think that you can be able to tell us where you last met him? That is very important." Sheldon said, and I was shocked to be seeing that he was taking so much of a lead on something like this, and I was wondering what he was even wanting to do now. Considering the fact that he had literally zero connection with Sam, this whole thing did just seem a bit odd was all. I was wondering what he was really wanting to do now.

"I met him at some diner or something like that. I don't know. Or it was a pizza shop. Does it really matter all that much where I met him? I just saw him, and he gave me a contract, and I had to follow through with it. I mean, from the way he was talking, it seems like he was not even the highest up person in his field. He was sounding like there was still at least one man who had the authority over him and stuff." After he said that, this is when Brad was coming in, and decided to take Sheldon's turn.

"I think that I may know a area in town where there is a pizza shop and a diner right next to each other. I mean, there are like seven or eight pizza shops in this town alone. It is insane. But only one of them is right next to a diner. So I think that maybe I can be able to drive you there Ken when this is done." Brad said, and then I nodded at him, thankful that he was doing this. Then I looked right at the man, and I was ready to be talking to him more.

"Listen, I do need to know because I plan to make all of your lives hell. I am going to be killing that man, and I am going to make sure that he will have the worst day ever when I do something like this." I said, and then after I was saying this, I was sort of wondering what he was going to be saying now. "I have a lot of stuff that I have the right to do this over, and I am going to make sure it is the most painful moment."

"Something you may be thinking sounds really noble is not going to be going the way that you are planning bringing it. I think that you will soon realize that this is just going to be a rough path. Even if you kill that man, there are still others who you have to be dealing with. And I do not really know if you are ready for something like this." The man was telling me, looking straight in the eyes at me, as if wondering if I was some demented freak to even try to do something like this.

"If it is a battle that I will have to fight to make sure that I can be able to bring down this entire town, then it is something that I will do. I think that the town has had too many things going on around it for me to just brush it off. I am going to be finding a way through this, and I am going to make sure that I am the only one who comes out of this." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him truly looking like he was wanting to find something else to say.

"In a way, you helped this man out find some peace with his brothers death. By giving him a simple piece of advice on where to go here." Sheldon said, and then he was starting to talk in a more stern voice, one that was giving off a level of authority. "This man has to deal with the fact that his older brother is dead because of the men that you work for. Now I don't think that you understand or give a fuck what is going on here, but we will make sure that none of this continues. Now I can't go out right now and do anything since I work here right now, but if you knew all the fights I had to fight in order to make sure that I have a chance or survival and giving revenge to the people who were wronged here, then you would be thinking it was a miracle I was even merely alive." After Sheldon finished this, he laughed a bit, as if thinking that what he was saying was going to fly.

"Is there anything else that you want to tell me before I head out?" I asked, trying to be getting right back at point before he was going to be losing nay desire to be helping me out and stuff. Before he was going to be telling me off and stuff. I had seen him looking like his thoughts were helping him out, but not sure on where to go here.

"Well, he was telling me that he was going to be making a business deal there. Something really big. Like it was going to be sort of give him a promotion. He was looking like he was planning every single movement out. I mean, he was looking like he was going to just rock the fuck out. I don't know. I think he mentioned something about the people down at the police station, like a deputy, helping him out." Then after he said that, I was just thinking that maybe if I was lucky, I could come in on this business deal.

"Thank you for helping him out. I think that he will be finding enough to go with here." Sheldon said, and then after he was saying that to the man, that was when Sheldon looked like he had gotten a darker look on his face. He stood up, and went behind the man, and I was shocked to see what he would do.

He took out a knife, and stabbed the guy in the neck. Brad looked like he could not have cared less, and had seen this before. Then Sheldon pulled the knife out, stabbed him on the other side, and then stabbed him right in the center of the neck as well, before doing one full streak across it to confirm the kill. Then with that, the mans bloody face fell down on the ground. Then he looked at me, and was looking like he had finally rooted for me now. "Go out and find them right now. You are going to do this." Sheldon said, and then Brad followed me to the car, letting me be driven there, while Sheldon would dispose of the body. I was not ready for the battle, but I was excited for it.

Once we were in the car, Brad was driving me along, and he was sort of looking like he was going to be all fine with everything that had been going on and stuff, and I just had no idea what I was even planning and stuff. But then we parked the car, and I was just sort of unsure of what was to be happening and stuff. Brad looked right at me, as if finding something to say to me, to make me feel like everything would finally make some sense and stuff.

"Ken, I wish you luck on what you do right now. I think that you deserve to find peace at mind for what happened to Sam. But I think that maybe we should just go and find something that can help you start a life after this. I mean, as good as something like this may be, I think we have to be realistic on what is actually driving you forward. But I will let you do this for now." After he had said that, I was nodding, not really in the mood for his lecture, but deep down I would be lying if I said I did not think there was a level of truth to it.

"I will just do what I can to make things better. I think that I have to remember how much of a mess this whole thing really is and stuff. But I think that as long as I have a chance to place this behind me, I will be all fine and stuff." I said, and then I was standing up, heading out of the room, sort of unsure of what was even going to be ahead of me at this rate. I just felt like when I would see this man, I would be letting all hell break lose.

I went out of the car, and I went inside of the diner, where I was seeing the area look like it was closed. I was seeing the man with the red flower staring right at me. He was looking like everything was finally coming together. "I was wondering if you were going to show up and try to talk with me for a bit. I guess that now that you are here, we might as well see how things can go. See if we can be able to reach some form of agreement." He had said, and he was holding his hands out, as if thinking that what he had said was a mildly amusing statement to make.

"I just have to know why you did what you did. I need to know what had caused you to be going around and killing people just for personal gain. What is making you feel like this is justified right now." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking at me, as if thinking that I would never understand this.

"It's just a political issue. I mean, your brother was considered to a wild figure of potential with some other people here. But to be quite frank, he was a big let down, and people just do not want to be dealing with something like that. They do not want to deal with a man who was meant to be bringing them hope, but has brought them nothing besides just a massive level of anger and annoyance. I think that your brother might have been too dangerous for them to really want to play around anymore." He said, and then he shrugged, as if almost thinking that this was a sad event.

"But to be fair, I think that you can say that your brother did spark something in you. Sparked something that none of us were ready for. A actual fire that can be able to make you more willing to play with us. Play with our words. Play with our ideas, and in the end, I think that maybe he might have been coming off as a important figure for that reason." The man said, and then I was trying to keep my composure, and still unsure of where I even fell into this whole puzzle.

"Listen, I have no idea what your plans are, and I have no desire to know what they are. I think that if I were to try and understand them, then I would sort of releasing a monster." I said, and then I was standing up, and I was ready to leave, not even wanting to waste time with this piece of massive shit. But then he got up, came to me, and then he punched me in the face.

"The conversation ends when I feel like it ends. You do not have any power on saying when we are done talking here young man." He said to me, and then he was looking like he wanted to make that point crystal clear to me. I was not really sure of what I was going to be doing. I had stared right at him, and I was sort of feeling like I just needed to see what was going on with him.

"Well, I know that you are not even the one who is running this show, and I do not really know if I want to waste my breath on you to be honest." I said, and then he pushed me to the wall, as if pissed that I had said this, and he grabbed a knife from the side and tried to plunge it right into the side of my chest. Then I grabbed my own knife and stabbed him in the chest. Then he was falling down to the ground.

"I want to know what happened here. I want to know why you guys are doing what you are doing. I think that this is the least that I really need to know. I think that as long as you fucking tell me what is going on here, I will sort of be able to put this whole madness to some level of sense." I said, and then he looked like there was something that he was willing to say.

"You will meet him soon enough. He knows who you are, and you are somebody who is very interesting to him. He will explain everything to you, and then you will be able to stop going around killing people for no real good reason besides to have some fucking false sense of vengeance and you will see that this quest is not going to be giving you any form of peace." After he was saying this to me, I was sort of unsure of what was going to even happen now.

"I want to know where I can be able to see him so I will be able to meet him right away. I think that this is the one thing that I want to do to make things better." I said, and then after I had said that, I wondered what was even going to be giving me some form of peace. I felt like when I would see this man, I would have a lot of stuff to be doing. "I will be looking forward to ending his life as well. Then I will be able to put this peace of mind behind me. And you are a step to creating this for me." I said, and I was unsure of what was to be even happening at this rate.

"Trust me, he will not be very keen on you ending our lives. He will have a judgment to make. One that he will not be very scared to pass, and when he passes it, you will lose everything that you have been working so hard for. And then it will feel like you lost it all. We are the same on that regard. And you will see what I mean soon enough." After he had said that, he laughed, wanting to see what I was to be saying now.

"If this is what it is going to take to know that my brother, my family, and his girlfriend, and my brothers friends, will be able to put something to rest, then it will be what I will do. He does not deserve this. You deserve this, and all your fucking asshole allies." I said, and then once I was done with that, I laughed, feeling like I was finally ready for what was to be coming along now. I left the diner with my knife, ready to finally put some of this behind me once and for all.

I eventually got inside of Brad's car, and I was wondering what was going to even fucking happen next. I was just feeling like when I would finally get this all together, then I would finally feel like I was the man who would make a difference. I looked at Brad, sort of unsure of what I even wanted to do now. "Brad, I still feel like there is more that I have to be doing to make this whole thing work. I do not really understand if I will be able to truly put this all behind me, but I feel like I am getting one step closer every single time that I go around and I fight for the better of the town." I said, and I was wondering what he would be saying now. If there was anything he wanted to say in the first place.

"I think that maybe you might be having a lot to go through, and I can see what I can be able to do to make it all work. But I guess that I will not be stopping you. I mean, you are finally looking like you are making a difference here, and I am glad that this is finally happening. But Ken, what if you end up getting killed before this is over?" Brad asked, and I shrugged.

"It is a risk that I have to take. But this does mean that I am going to have to find a way out of this. I am going to have to find a way to make this all seem like it truly mattered. I think that maybe I should stop by Susan or stop by my parents. I don't fucking know. I think that I just have to be seeing one of them, and seeing what I can be able to do to make things better for everybody else around me.

"I guess that maybe you have a lot more on your shoulder than you really want to admit. I do not know if that is a good thing or not, but I think that as long as you realize that, everything will finally have a chance to be working out for us. I think that perhaps we should go on and try to find a way to make the people in your family think that this is not going to be getting you killed and stuff. But I don't really know how this is even happening." After Brad had told me this, I was seeing him looking like he had wanted to find something that would make us feel like we had a chance to survive this fight.

"This is going to be a rough road. I do not want to make these people a promise that I have no way of knowing if it can be made or not. I guess that this whole thing is just going to be a bit hard for me to even try to justify. But who knows, I will see how I can possibly make this whole insane situation have a chance of working." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was wondering what was my next step in action. "I think that I will try to tell them what I am doing. But I just have no clue on how I will say it and not get them angry at me and stuff."

I was seeing Brad starting to drive me closer and closer to my house, and as he was doing this, that was when I was feeling like I finally had made up my mind about what I was wanting to do next, and where this should be bringing me. "Bring me to Susan's house, and then take me home after that." I said, and then after I was saying that to Brad, he looked right at me, and he was looking like he was just unsure of what to say now. But at the same time, he was sort of thinking that he might as well go with this whole entire thing.

"Yeah, I can bring you there. I just hope that nothing goes on that is going to be too dangerous with you and her. I mean, if something were to happen to her, I know that you would not really be all that forgiving of yourself." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him turning around, and coming closer and closer to me. As if he was finally feeling like I was onto something that could be considered at least kind of smart and stuff.

Eventually, after several minutes, Brad parked the car in front of where Susan lived after I led him to the destination. After I had done that, I was looking right at him, wondering what I was going to be telling him. If I wanted anything to say to him in the first place. "I will be here for a few minutes. I think that maybe you should head home. I think that your family needs you more, and this time I am actually being serious." I said, and then after I said that, Brad looked down, as if not wanting to admit the merits to this, but knew deep down I was right.

"Just don't do anything too bad right now. Just make sure that you keep yourself and her safe. That is the one thing that I really want you to focus on." After Brad had said that, he left me alone as he was driving off. I was then taking a deep breath, knowing what was to be coming now, and what I was forced to do.

With that, Brad was gone, and I sighed in annoyance. I then went towards the door, and then I knocked on Susan's place. When I did that, I waited for several seconds, unsure of what I was going to even say in the first place. I had felt like when I was going to see her, Susan was going to be telling me that she wanted nothing to do with me.

But she answered and before I even knew it, I had started to speak, and I was feeling like the stuff that I was saying was going to be a good way of speaking to her for the most part considering everything that had happened. "I am so fucking sorry for having sex with you without any follow up, and not giving you any feeling of me actually caring about what was going on. I should have been there for you more, and that is something that I am willing to fucking admit right now. I should have found a way to be able to make things easier for you. And that is what I failed to do when I banged you and then left." I said, and then after I had said that to Susan, I just had no idea what was even going to be coming out of this right now.

"I know that you are probably just going through things on your own way. I mean, I do wish that you spoke to me more, but I don't know what is going on in your mind, so I have to keep that in perspective. He was your brother after all." She said to me, and I was seeing her looking like she was trying to clearly decide if she was wanting to buy into what she had said, or if she was still pissed at this whole thing.

"I still should have found a way to try and speak out to you. That is something that I think I should not really get over. But I guess that it is just a situation that we are all stuck in right now. Not really too sure on how we are going to pull through on anything." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was then seeing her sort of looking like she was wanting to find a way to keep this whole thing together right now.

"I will be heading out right now. I will just try to be better at communication in the future. I feel like you deserve that, and I am going to be going along, doing my best to let you have this." I said, and then I was holding my hand out to her, as if trying to find a way to be making this seem like we were on a level of cordial discussion. "Want to call it clean this time? You know, and then if something happens soon, and I disrespect you again, then we can start to find a way to make me pay for it." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was sort of looking like she was willing to work this out.

"Yeah, I guess we can call it good. You know, just find a way to sort of put this behind us. I think that it is the least that we can do considering the situation." Susan said, and then she shook my hand. We were finally looking like we respected each other on a level that I was ready to be approaching. A level that I felt like we actually could work with.

"I better head out now." I said, and then after I said that, I said one final thing to them to make her seem like I was still going to make it all fucking work. "I will do my best to make this seem like you and I are finally on a good level of communication. You deserve this, and I will give it to you." With that, I was gone, and this time, I was truly meaning it and stuff.

I was walking along, and then eventually, I was hearing a loud noise in the distance, and I was wondering what the fucking hell was even going on. I turned around, and I was seeing something that was looking like a giant blue hole. I was confused out of my ever loving mind, and I was just at a loss of anything to be saying or doing right now.

Before I even had anything that I wanted to say could come out of my mouth, that was when there was a man in a purple jacket several feet behind me. "Young man, I have to admit, you either got a lot of guts or you were really stupid to be going around and actually be the first person who put in a real attempt at bringing me down. Despite the whole thing being something I could not ponder, I have to admit that I do admire your strength. Much more than the fake perception that your brother had given me, and I had to easily take care of him. He was useless, but you are different. I like you. You are tough, and I think that with simple persuasion, I could be able to convince you to join my ranks." He said, and then he walked closer to closer to me, and I was walking further and further back in fear, not even remembering the hole.

"I know you do not understand my plans right now, and you might never understand my plans. I am fine with that. But I think that I still need to take care of something that is ahead of me. And for that reason, I am going to be sending you on my journey." He said, and then he pulled a black ball out of his pocket and then shoved it in my mouth. "Give it some time. It will kick in when it is ready."

I was starting to struggle against him, wanting to spit the ball out, but then he pushed me through the gate, and then he smiled. "Despite your best efforts, you can't really seem to fight a man who knows you are coming, and knows how you can handle yourself. You will learn how to do what is important soon enough, and when that happens, I will be there to make sure you are on the correct path." He said, and then I was already falling through, unable to speak, and I was scared as the gate closed, and I was sent to this area I am now. And this is where I am. Hopefully I will find a moment to speak to this again soon enough, where I can have more to talk about now. But then then, I am going to be off on my own.


	2. Sheldon Oswald Lee

December Twenty Fifth Nineteen Ninety One: It was this night when thirteen year old Cody Lee was sitting in a car next to a man that he had originally hated with all his heart and soul until only a few hours ago. And now, here he was, sitting down next to him in a car while he was driving the kid home. The whole situation was just so strange to him, and he did not really know how he was supposed to be really comprehending it. In a way, he wanted no way to be able to comprehend it since doing this was just going to be giving into the idea that reality was all grey and stuff.

Before the early teen could be able to think about it too much longer, that was when the man who drove him home brought him back to reality. "Hey Cody, I was wanting to talk to you for a bit, see if maybe we can be able to get a nice conversation in here before you are forced to go home and stuff." After he had said that to him, Cody looked at this guy, wanting to get it over with while also sort of wanting to hear what his statements were going to be, and if perhaps he needed to give him a chance after all, to see what he was truly meaning here.

"What is it that you were wanting to talk about?" He asked, almost wishing that it was going to be nothing too deep. That it was going to be some vague subject that neither one of them had to try too hard with. Since in all honesty, despite eventually forgiving this man, he did not know if he was wanting to hear it. He was not sure if he was going to be ready to actually have a real conversation with this man yet.

"I know that you are still mad at me, and that you will probably never be fully over it, and that your fathers death was a really tough situation. I am glad that you have been able to see that it is not my fault entirely right now anymore. I guess that this is my silver lining to the whole subject. But I cant get you to like me, and I see that now more than ever. You are slowly becoming your own man, and you need to have the right to choose how you feel about things." After he had said that to Cody, he was taking a deep breath.

"Besides, I do not really think that I will be able to fully describe everything that is going on in my mind so far. I think that trying to do this will only be making the subject much worse and harder for all of us. And I do not believe that you deserve something like this going on with you quite yet. But before you start to brush me off, I do want to state that I see the flaws that I had made, and I do want to at least be given a chance to make it right now. I want to at least try. And this is going to be my first step." With that, he pulled something out from under his seat, and gave the wrapped gift to Cody.

The young boy looked at it confused, and was unsure if he was wanting to indulge on this quite yet. Since he was frankly unsure if he was actually wanting to believe that this was anything that would actually help him out and stuff. "What is this?" Cody asked, straight to the point, which he usually liked, especially when it was around this man.

"The only thing that your father gave me, since he was telling me that he trusted me to be giving you this more than he trusted anybody else at all. He felt like I was going to be the only one that would actually give this to you. I do not know if this is true, but he gave me a chance, and I am going to be doing what I can with it." The driver said, wondering what Cody would say, and hoped that he would be willing to not call bullshit on this right away without giving it a chance.

"What do you think he would want me to be doing with it?" Cody asked, having what might have been one of the longest sentences he had with this man before, but this news was really shaking him, and he felt like he had to find a way to be going through with this, to see what his very own father was wishing for him to understand. The older man shrugged, and just simply told Cody the very small amount that he had known about this before giving it to him.

"I have no idea what it is, but it is something that has been building dust in my place for several years. He said he wanted you to have it when you were thirteen, and that this was the most important set of information that he could give you. This man did seem to love you, or at least truly care for you, and I would not let him down by not giving this at least a chance first. I think that you have to give it a try if you truly want to live up to him, and show that you do care about him after all." The man was saying, and despite how much Cody hated him being told what his father would be wanting, deep down he knew that this man was telling the truth.

"Thanks, I will check it out." Cody said, and then he was holding the gift like it was the most important thing in the world, truly wanting to know what his father was truly wanting to tell him on the last chance that he had. This was vital, and it was the only thing that was going to be giving him some feeling of purpose now.

"Hey Ken..." Cody said as he opened up the car door, and was looking right at the man, wondering what he was going to tell this guy. If there was anything to be telling him in the first place. Ken was looking right at him, feeling like he needed to let this guy just explain what was going on in his mind. "Thanks for sticking out for us tonight." He said, and he knew it was quite possibly the only good thing he would ever tell that man, and Ken knew deep down that this was the truth, and in a way, he was kind of glad that he did not have to deal with Cody trying to be acting like there was something that kept them working together, like there was something good, when in all honesty, he knew that Cody would never truly be like this.

Before anything else can be said, Cody was out of the car, he shut the door, and went inside of the house that he lived in all of his life. Ken briefly saw the woman who was his mother, which was his classmate Jenny. As he was looking at her, thinking about his crush on her, he was slowly telling himself that it was a lost chance, and that there was nothing he would get out of trying to pursue after her, no matter how much he thought they could work. Ken was looking at her for nearly ten seconds before he nodded, finally accepting that no matter what, he would never be with Jenny, and then started to drive off.

Cody went inside of his room, not even seeing his mother or saying anything to her, and he was going right to business. He opened up the gift, and saw something strange inside. There was a piece of paper, and a set of discs under it. Right away, he was opening the piece of paper and was reading it.

"Dear Cody, it's your dad here. I know that you are not going to want me to give you any giant excuse for what I did, or anything, so I won't. Because I don't have one. However, I do have a story that you need to learn, and a full life that has been going on in this town that you need to understand. Here are twenty four, maybe twenty five, can't remember, discs. One of them breaking down the story of my time here, a very important story, one hour at a time, and I hope that it will finally help you understand what was going on in this town before you were old enough to understand. But now I feel like you are old enough, and I have to try. I love you. From Sheldon." With that, Cody was feeling a small tear coming down his face.

And he also knew what he was needing to be doing to pull it all together. He started up the mini laptop his mother gave him, and then he started to watch and listen to the information that was given to him by his father. And over time, over the next day, his entire life and perception of the city would be changed dramatically.

...

Chapter Two: Sheldon Oswald Lee

It started when I was a young kid, about ten years old. In Nineteen Fifty Six. My family had decided to move to Wayside Minnesota in an attempt to get a good job offer. My parents were finally moving up in the working world, and this was making me so happy. To know that everything that my parents had been doing had finally started to pay off. When I was a kid, I really looked up to those people, and I had felt like they were going to be my heroes. Coming along with us was my thirteen year old sister Riley, who had at the barest way of describing it took it a lot worse than I did. She did not take it well at all, and actually felt like what had happened was one of the worst things going on. I did not know why she was so opposed to us finally moving up in the world.

My parents had parked the car, and when they had done this, I was honestly wondering what was going to be coming of our new living situation. I was wondering if I was going to be making any new friends, if I was going to be popular, and if I was actually somebody who stood any form of a chance in fitting in. There were so many superficial things that I was worried about. Things that now seem totally unimportant but at the time were the biggest things that anybody could be dealing with ever.

As I was about to enter the house, that was when my mother was telling me something that I should be doing. "I think it would be really nice if you went out and tried to make some friends with some of the people around town. You know, to see if you can be able to connect with them and stuff." She suggested to me, and I was a bit annoyed because she knew that I was not the greatest person in the world on the social front. But I also knew that she was desperate to be seeing me make the best out of this that I could, and in a way, I was telling myself that I needed to be going along with this whole thing. Who knows, maybe Wayside was a clean slate. A area I can become good.

I sighed, and I knew what I needed to do. "Alright, I will give it one try. See if something like this has any chance of working." I said, and them after I had said that to her, I was seeing my mother looking so happy. Riley looked like she could not have cared less, and that the sooner she settled in, the better that it was going to be for her. I was wondering what was going on with her, and I felt like maybe I needed to try and figure that out soon enough.

I was heading along, trying to be finding somebody who I was thinking was not going to be a total asshole to me if I tried to be reaching out to them. To see if I had any real chance to make it look like perhaps this whole thing was not really all that big of a fear of mine. I hated the way that I was acting, but I could not help it given my past.

Eventually I found a red headed guy named Dakota. He lived about four houses away, which meant that it was only about a ten minute walk there and back. When I had met him, he seemed to be doing his own thing. Sort of not really caring what was even going on. I said hello to him and it was only then when he turned out and gave me any notice at all.

"Hey, I did not notice you. Sorry for ignoring you." Dakota said, and then he was looking like he was trying to find something else to say that he was feeling like I would be interested in. He held out his hand, wanting to find something to be saying here. "My name is Dakota Andrews. What is your name?" I decided that he was a nice enough guy, and for that reason, I would go along with it, and shake his hand back too.

"My name is Sheldon Oswald Lee. I just moved here today with my family. Big deal. They are obsessed with the idea of making this the best move in the world. I mean, I don't really get the urgency of it. But I really don't want to be letting them down at all, and that is the main reason I am going to be going along with it." I said, trying to make it sound like this was not getting to me all that much, and that I was not worried too much about trying to appeal to them. I mean, I knew it was a big deal, but I did not want to be making it look like it was to Dakota, since I did not want him to be edged away in case he felt like he could not meet expectations.

"I guess that maybe your parents just want to make sure that everything is smooth. I think that this is actually rather nice of them to be reaching out this way. I mean, if I were a parent, and I had kids, I would be shooting for their best interest as well." Dakota said, and then he was looking at me, as if thinking this was all perfectly natural and stuff. If he was believing in this, I was telling myself that maybe it was true, and that I needed to relax, and think about the good that could be able to come out of this anyways.

"Besides, I think that when you settle down here, you will really enjoy it." Dakota said, and then we were looking out at the trees. "Is there anything that you liked to be doing back where you originally lived?" After he asked that, I was fucking stumped. I mean, I barely had any real interests, and most of my time was spent trying to get away from people who were constantly on me, and making my life worse.

"No, I really had no big interests. I just liked staying home, and doing my own thing. Every time I tried to connect with people, they would always be really mean to me, and make things even worse for me. It was not worth it honestly." I said, and then I was thinking about that a bit more, thinking that maybe moving away was for the best, the more that I remember their rude ness, and the more that I remembered the way that many of those students treated me.

"Well, that's a shame. Maybe we can be able to find one together. Something that can keep you excited for what is in this town." Dakota said, and then he was sort of thinking about it a bit, as if trying to be finding something that I might actually find exciting. In his mind, he was clearly thinking that something like this was going to be a bit hard, but that he was needing to at least try to do something like this. I was then thinking that he was still being nicer to me than the vast majority of the people who I had known and all of that stuff.

"What are some things that you think I might be interested in?" I asked, and I was just trying to find a sense of feeling like maybe I could be able to get this guy to show me it right away. But I could tell from the way that he was looking, that he was not quite ready to be jumping into something like this. That whatever he was planning was much to special to be letting up right now, and that he was just needing to see how I would enjoy it before I made things any worse for him by rushing him.

"It might take me a little bit of time, but I think that when I show you the tree house in town, you might be really interested in that." Dakota said, and he was already getting my interest in something like this just from the very mention of it. I wondered what was going on there, and if I was going to actually enjoy it. I was feeling like maybe when he would show me this place, then I could be able to feel like I was actually finally getting more and more into this situation of the town, and that I was not even forced into it all.

"Besides, there are a lot of kids at town who you might be able to hang out with, and might enjoy seeing what a new fresh face is like." Dakota said, looking right at me, as if wondering what I would try to tell him and stuff. I felt like this whole thing was going to be a bit much for me to handle. But at the same time, I felt like it was nice to know that at least Dakota was being nice about the way that he was doing this. Nice about getting me into town.

"What was the business offer that made your parents come up here anyways? If you are fine with telling me." He said, and then after he had asked me this question, I looked right at her, wondering what the fucking hell I would try to tell him. I was thinking that maybe I might as well tell him the truth. The kind of anticlimactic truth. I shrugged, and simply tried to make it as calm as I possibly could.

"I don't really know. All that I know is that my father was considered to be doing a really good job where he worked, and everybody was giving a big case for his promotion. He was promoted, and he accepted it. I mean, I don't really know what he is going to be doing now. All he told me was that he was going to be moving, and that I needed to see this as a great chance to be able to get to know some knew people in a new town, and that is the way that I am looking at it right now." I said, and then I was sort of unsure of if it was going to really fly with Dakota, or if he wanted more than just that.

"It seems like everybody who moves in here is coming as a result of a promotion. I don't much understand it, but I guess as long as people are getting in work, and the town is getting some money, I can't really fight with it all that much." Dakota said, and he was sounding like what he was saying was not all that bad of a statement. He actually seemed like what he had said actually made some fucking sense anyways. "I just hope that your family likes it here."

"I hope so too. I just think that my sister is not going to be liking it here very much. She always is complaining about it, and I think that she just misses it. She is the exact opposite of me. She was a social butterfly there, and she was always with her friends, and she was always doing something that would get people to want to hang out with her. I just hope I can capture even half of that one day." I said, and this was slowly the start to a friendship.

The next couple of weeks, Dakota was just showing me around town. Not really doing much besides just that. And over time, I started to actually grow to appreciate his company more and more. It was a little over two weeks after moving there when Dakota showed me this girl named Ashley. She lived a couple of blocks away, and he was sort of looking like he had the hots for her, if I had to guess. Although I did not want to blow his cover by saying so, and with that, I did not make any effort to speak out at all what I was thinking. "I think you guys are simply too reckless with what you do." Ashley said as we were trying to climb up a tree one time, and I was trying to make a come back to her.

"It is a lot of fun. Why not give it a try before you completely knock it." I said, and then I looked right at her, and I was sort of wondering if this could be a way where I can get Dakota to be able to speak up with her. That maybe this can be able to start to connect them more.

"I should not try it. I mean, my parents are not really into that kind of stuff, and they might be thinking that I am hanging out with some really bad influences in the first place." She said, and then she seemed to think about it a moment longer, trying to decide if she wanted to or not. I could tell that it was a long process she was going through on her mind.

"Come on, the worst that is going to come if you try it is that you get a little bit dirty. I doubt your parents are really going to notice or care all that much. They will probably just be glad that you are doing something besides reading books all day." Dakota said, and then she smiled a bit. She was thinking deep down that maybe Dakota did have a point there, almost thinking that it was really annoying how he knew so much about her in such a short amount of time. But then after he had said that, she was pondering for a moment.

"Fine. I will try it. But if I get in trouble I will be blaming you Dakota. For egging me on." She said and then she placed her hand on the tree, and started to climb up it a little bit at a time. She was looking like it was kind of scary, but that at the same time, she was kind of excited to be doing it after all. Almost like she had opened up a whole new level of living. She was climbing each little piece that she can put her feet on, and she was slowly getting to our level. Dakota and I watched for a bit, wondering when she would reach the first set of branches.

Once she was on a branch, she laid down on it, almost hating this act because of it getting her clothes messed up. Then she looked at me. "You are pretty fun." She said, and then I smiled when I saw her say that to me. It made me feel like I was finally making a good impact on somebodys life. So with that, I was then just thinking about what I was even going to be doing from this point forward. I was just thinking about what was to happen now.

"Trust me, I am somebody who just tries to do what he can, when he can. You know, just take the moment for what it is, and enjoy life and stuff." I said, ad then I was just shaking my head, and I laid my hands down so they could hang in the air. "Trust me, I think that I am going to just take it slowly here. I don't want to get all involved with boring stuff like what my parents do." I said, smiling at that, thinking that it was more amusing than anything else.

"I think that I would not trade hanging out here for anybody else. I mean, life is just so perfect when I am up here, not giving a fuck what anybody thinks of me." Dakota said, and I was looking at him, sort of wanting to come up with a good come back, but I decided against it since I had felt like there was no real need to. I was looking out at the town, and the vast number of houses in the area. Wondering if I was going to be able to explore the whole thing some day, and when I would be able to make the most out of it. I did not know how it was to be done, but I certainly wanted to try.

"I can't believe school is going to starting soon. That is not going to be very fun honestly." Dakota said, and then he looked at me, wondering what I would say in response to this. "Were you ever a good student when you went to school back in the day? Did you ever put much effort into your studies?" I shook my head, as if thinking that such a idea would fucking suck.

"Are you crazy? That would make me even less popular than I already am. I am not going to waste my time on stuff like that. I think that this would be crazy." I said, and then I was thinking about what I had just said, and a small part of me thought that it was the best response yet. But I did not know. Maybe I did want to try. Maybe I did want to do something bigger and better. But I did not want to deal with pointless school work to get there.

A couple of weeks passed after that, when I felt like I was finally a welcome and accepted part of the town when there were only a couple of days left before the next school year started, and I was feeling like it was time to be doing something else. Dakota decided that he would show me the tree house, after all this time of hyping it up. I was really excited to be seeing what this was about, and I was just really wanting to see what it was going to offer me. Something of a thrill.

Dakota, Ashley and I went across town for a while, and when we had gotten to the forest where the tree house would be, Dakota looked right at me, as if he was feeling like he was going to be showing me some giant great secret. "You promise that no matter what, you are going to not make a deal out of this. It is one of the most exciting things about this town honestly." Dakota said to me, and as I looked at him, he was looking right at me, as if really just wanting to see what I was going to do now. "Besides, many people view this place as a way to be fully set in this town at our school."

"Alright, I guess that I will promise not to tell my parents about it." I said, not really getting it still, but feeling like there was no point in fighting the temptation. We walked to the tree where it was, and Dakota got on the steps first. Ashley looked at me as he was climbing up the ladder. She looked like she had a relatively excited look on her face, as if this was a adventure unlike any other that she had before.

"I remember when I first went up this for the first time. It was a lot of fun, and I felt like I had finally see the great secret of the town. I hope that maybe you will have the same feeling." She went up after Dakota, and I waited for about another five seconds after this before I decided that I would be going up as well. I did not know what I was going to expect, but I was telling myself that I had to be ready no matter what.

Once inside of the tree house, Dakota looked right at me. I saw that the house was covered with various objects, things that it looked like younger kids or teenagers would use. Almost as if this really was the pay off to several decades worth of material being here. I smiled, thinking that this was indeed kind of cool. "It's almost like a time capsule." I said as I went to the wall and looked at the giant hanging blanket that was going down. "How did you guys even learn about this place anyways? Were you showed the place by somebody else?"

"I found it one day, when I was playing about a year or so ago. A week or so later, I decided to show Ashley. When I went to school that following year, it had seemed like several people had known of the tree house and had gone up it themselves. I think that this is more of a requirement to go up this at least once now." He had said, and then after he looked at me for a moment to try and figure out what I was thinking, he looked like he was sort of just letting this one go after all.

"I wonder how this was even brought here. What gave it such a feeling of being a icon." I said, sitting down, and then Dakota was pulling something out from under a blanket. He was holding up three different beer cans. Ashley looked like she was revolted by this, but that at the same time, after spending several weeks hanging out with us, she was thinking that there could be a lot worse to get into. Or that at the very least this was something she was used to by now.

"Dakota, are you seriously going to be drinking three bottles of beer?" Ashley asked when her initial revulsion was gone. Dakota threw her a can, which she caught perfectly, and then threw me one, which I fumbled a bit but still caught nonetheless. I was amazed after I opened up and it did not explode like I expected it to. Dakota looked like he had hit the jack pot, and after he glanced at Ashley again, shook his head as if she had gone insane for thinking that he was going to try and do what she had suggested he would do.

"I mean, I thought that with three of them, we could all have one. To see what it is like to get a little tipsy before we can buy it. You know, to finally see if we can finally feel more like adults." Dakota said, as he took a sip of his. He looked like his face winced for a nano second, but then he went back to looking like the regular guy that I had known all this time. Ashley opened the can, and clearly looked like she had not wanted to do this. But then she told herself that there was nothing wrong with a single sip or something like that. Just to see if it really was as bad as people had hyped it all up to be and stuff.

She was more visibly tensed at the drink that she had just taken than Dakota was. "That is so gross. Is it better cold at least? I mean, you can really taste it." Ashley said, but then after she had said that, both of my peers looked right at me. "It's your turn to try. Can't leave us hanging." She said, and then I rolled my eyes, and then started to take a few sips, thinking that this was better than I feared, but worse than I hoped.

"Not really my type of thing. But I guess it's alright. Little gross for the first couple of seconds." I said, and then I was thinking that this was the type of stuff that would make the next several years of Wayside much easier than I ever thought it would be. Dakota, Ashley and I took some turns with our sips, wanting to each see how the other one would slowly become more and more wasted. But that was ruined when there was a loud noise that scared me to the core.

It was a loud grinding noise that went on for several seconds, and the longer that it went on, the more intense it seemed, and I was wondering what was going on when I was hearing this. Then I looked right at Dakota and Ashley, as if feeling like I needed to get some form of confirmation that this was just not something I heard and stuff. "That is something that comes along every six weeks or so, we don't know what that noise really is, but you get used to it after a while." Dakota briefly explained as Ashley's voice got noticeably more tense when she spoke next.

"There are a lot of people who go missing in this town. Mostly girls, but once in a blue moon a boy as well. Usually when that grinding noise happens, within four days to a week, another person goes missing, at all ages. These cases never turn up anywhere. Many people connect the two events as being distinctly related." Ashley said, and Dakota seemed to be getting a lot more serious as well. Thinking that now it was time to adopt a much more real approach with our talk.

"A lot of people have called up a folk lore of it. Something called the labyrinth. It is a name that is coined under the idea that maybe there is a place in the town where they all are, and that some scary monsters are there. Some people talk about the broadcast station up at the top of the mountain. A place that has been shut down since nineteen forty eight." After Dakota told me that, I was looking out the small window of the tree house at the mountain in the distance, about a mile to mile and a half away.

"I don't really believe that it's real. But the idea of those two possibly being connected sometimes does seem pretty scary." Ashley admitted. "Over all, this town had a lot of strange things going on in it, and I have no idea what is really causing it at all. I don't know if I want to know." With that, I was forced with the first great mystery of my time there, about a month after I moved here. What was the labyrinth? Why do people go missing? What is that grinding noise? And if I have been here five weeks, and it goes off every six weeks or so, then the last time it happened was just last week, and I needed to know who would go missing now as well as the recent one. So many questions, and I was so curious to know that I drank the rest of the beer without any forethought into it as my mind was racing.

The school year started, and I was really feeling the need to just get right into the hanging aspect of it. I did not want to be spending the school year acting like I was just going to be doing nothing. I wanted to have a good year, and maybe make some more friends aside from the two that I had. During the first few days of the school year, I had gotten to know several of the kids that I would be forced to know for the next nine months or so. Thinking that they were just sort of in it for their own gain.

It was about a week after the year started when Dakota was seeing me look a girl that I had found pretty. A couple of years younger than me, but that did not change the fact that I found her pretty. "Her name is Nicole Senicourt. She's the governors daughter. Pretty much is a silent rule to respect her no matter what, considering the fact that her dad would make your life a miserable hell if you did not. But she does not really seem to care what people think of her." Dakota said, almost impressed at how she can be able to have such a attitude towards her life.

"Has she ever dated anybody during her time here?" I asked, sort of thinking that this was a fair question. That was when Dakota looked at me, sort of unsure of what to say. But then Ashley, who had sat next to us this whole time, decided that she would finally chime into the talk.

"She's not that nice of a person. Always seems like she is thinking that she is better than everybody else. All because her dad is the governor. Does she not understand that he's an old fart anyways? Way too old to even know what most peoples names are." Ashley said with a level of hostility to her tone, and I did not expect her to be sounding like that.

"How old is her dad?" I did not think that it was too crazy of a question. I mean, forty is already kind of old in my eyes, so I felt like maybe he was like thirty five to forty five. But then Dakota looked at me, as if thinking that it was a shock that I was asking this question in the first place. Thinking that perhaps he might as well just let me know.

"He turns eighty nine this year. Oldest governor in history. Was elected eight years ago after a mining incident or something like that at the town. I don't know. I was two at the time." Dakota said, sort of thinking that there was not much more that we needed to discuss on this. But this meant that Nicole was born when her father was eighty one years old. I had no idea how that must have been, and I was wondering if maybe she needed some friends to help her get into living life a bit better. Besides, it could give me a chance to talk to her since she was a really pretty girl and stuff.

"I think that she needs somebody who can help her feel like she can get used to life here. I mean, I am not at all a Wayside veteran, but I think that I know how to have fun more than she does." I said, and then Dakota and Ashley were both looking at me, as if thinking that such a suggestion was just going to be a terrible idea. But then they figured that I would figure out why soon enough, and that they did not need to be trying to get me to stop something that I had a desire to try out in the first place.

"I would be careful on this before you were to go out and try it. You know, not to be really letting yourself down or anything like that." Dakota said, and he was just looking like he did not want to see me go through the issues of being let down. But I was telling myself that I needed to at least give this a try. At least see if there was a small chance that something like this would even be able to work out in the long run.

"I want to try at least." I said, and then I nodded, thinking that it was going to be the least that I would be able to do. I was then going right towards where Nicole was, and I was feeling like when I would be seeing her again, I would finally have a way to be able to confront her about what I was going to say. I felt like this was going to either be the best choice of my entire life, or the worst one. And I did not really know which one I was going to be more prepared for.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked, trying to make it sound like I was not being totally strange. I mean, I was not doing a very good job, but I was feeling like it was better of me to at least try. I was seeing her looking up at me, sort of unsure of what she was going to be saying to me. Almost like this was something that she did not ever feel like she would be having to deal with. But then she was nodding, almost as if thinking that the faster we got this over with the better it would be.

"I am doing alright. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with those people over there?" Nicole asked, pointing at Dakota and Ashley. She seemed to have something of a negative tone to her voice. But at the same time, I was just telling myself to focus on the conversation at hand, and not be annoyed with the way that she was talking about them. "They are no real fans of me. They always talk about me behind my back, and they always act like I am some stuck up girl."

"Oh, they are just worried that you don't hang out with people enough. I am new here, so I barely know anything about you or any of that stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, she was looking right at me, almost sort of shocked that I was trying to be open about it. "You know, I just feel like when people are sort of closed off, they need a friend and stuff. I mean, you don't have to say yes. But the offer is open, if you want to give it a try." I said, and then after I had said that, I had felt like I was good enough here, and that I did not need to push on the matter more.

"Thanks. What is your name?" She asked me, looking like she was still unsure of if she was supposed to believe the advances that I had made for her. Almost thinking that there was no way that I was actually going to be really this nice. Truly thinking deep down that I was going to use her for gain. I was wondering if this was something she felt as a result of the fact that her father was a governor, and sort of knew how to be working this stuff. I decided that I needed to try at least to make it look like this was not bothering me, and that she did not think that I was just using her like she was a tool. I was also feeling like maybe it would be awful to have a father who was a governor. Who had been just doing dirty work like this all behind the scenes. I felt like I needed to try and understand.

"My name is Sheldon." I said, and then I rubbed the back of my neck with my left hand, which was something that I had been doing a lot when I was feeling like I was under pressure. When I was sort of in a tough spot to be trying to make something work out for the better. "I think that everybody should have a friend when the offer is being made to them." I said, and I truly meant every word of what I had said here, and that I did not want the girl that I was finding beautiful to lose a chance at a regular life because of the living situation she was in, one that I would never imagined.

A week or two had passed, and as I had known it, one of the people in the town went missing as I had predicted back at the tree house. Some girl who was a grade above Riley, and when I asked her about it, the conversation that we had was a little bit interesting. Almost as if Riley did not really want to be talking about something like this, but decided that maybe she would speak to me about this.

"She was a alright class mate. I mean, she wasn't really mean to me or anything, but I barely knew her. I mean, it is strange that it happened relatively soon after that grinding noise had been made. But I guess that maybe it is just the towns way of making meat supplies or something." Riley said, and she was sounding like she had already sort of dropped the subject. "Besides, I mean, as long as none of my friends are going missing, then I suppose that it will not be all that big of a deal."

"You've made friends here?" I asked, trying to be a bit amusing as she was giving me a decent scowl. I mean, all she ever did was stay in her room and stuff. "I mean, I never really seen you go out all that much during the summer is all." I said, and then Riley looked like what I had said was really funny. As if I was the one to be talking at that moment.

"Oh yeah? Says the person who had literally not hung out with anybody in like weeks and months at a time but then the moment that we moved to Wayside, he is suddenly acting like the king of the social ladder." She said, and while I knew that there was a small amount of jabbing meant to be thrown in there, I knew that she was for the most part not taking it too seriously. I was thinking that maybe she was just wanting to see where I could be coming from with all of this. I was shrugging, as if trying to find something to keep me going with this.

"The thing is that I am just not very good at that stuff. If I was better at being more socially open, I would not be so against doing something like that. I am just not sure how I can talk and not be a idiot." I looked at the wall, just thinking that as long as I was lot looking at her, I would then not have to deal with her looking at me in a judging manner. Which I was not really sure if I was wanting to deal with any of that in the first place.

"Anyways, now that you are here, and you asked me about it, are you worried about the people who are going missing? Like does it honestly bother you at all what is going on?" She asked me, and I was seeing her sort of looking like she was getting much more serious. "I mean, I do feel bad for her parents, and I hope that the police can find her. But in all honesty, I don't really think that there is anything that I can do about it. I think that I just need to let them be doing their own thing when it comes to this."

"I think that you don't need to be worried about trying to do something. The police will find her. The police always know how to help us." I said, thinking about when I was back at where we used to live, and how when something came along, the police would take it down right away. Make sure that nothing could spread about this problem. "I think that the police are just taking in the news report. And probably looking into if that labyrinth story is true." I said, and then I was looking into the fridge, not paying any mind to what I had just said, thinking that it was a regular comment.

"What is this labyrinth thing? Just some story that your classmates said to you to get you scared?" Riley asked, and while she was saying it in a relatively playful light, I could tell that she was really just wanting to know more than anything else. I looked right at her, sort of thinking that maybe she would have something to say about it if I told her what I knew, and she would be able to make some comment on it after all. So I decided that I would answer her question after all.

"Yeah, it's something that my classmates tell me about. I've heard about it once. From Dakota. Telling me that it is a story that most people say to talk about why people go missing. I don't really think it is all that big of a deal. I think it would just be interesting to try and see if it is true." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering if she was going to want to speak further on this, or if she was thinking that perhaps it was not really something she wanted to consider all that much now.

"I think that it's just a tale. I would not really think about it too much. Probably something to scare little kids. You're not a little kid anymore." Riley said, and I was raising my eyebrow at that. I was shocked that she would say that about me when even a year ago she would say that I was. Maybe she thought that when somebody was ten, then they were no longer a little kid or something like that. I don't really know what to say now.

"I know that there is probably no truth to it. But people always told me that myths had a certain level of truth to them, so I wonder if that is one of those cases." I said, and then after I had said that, I was thinking that maybe I was going to be losing that status of 'no longer a little kid' in her eyes. But I was also feeling like for the first time ever, I had actually started to talk about a idea with some form of truth. That I was not lying about what I was feeling here and stuff.

"Well, as long as you are aware of the fact that virtually nothing else is going on here, then I guess that I will leave you alone about it." After Riley said that, she was looking like she was going to be going back to her room. But then as she was about to be heading out, I was sort of looking right at him, and I was feeling like I just had to find something to make her focus on me just a little bit longer. Something that I felt like she would listen to me more on. Something that could help me understand how to handle my life.

"Hey Riley, I was wanting some advice. So there is a girl I like. She's kind of cute. And I was wondering if you had any advice for me on how to get her to like me." I said, and then after I had asked her this, Riley looked at me, as if trying to find a way to be nice about what she was saying. But then she was just thinking that she would just try to find a way to be honest without being rude about it at the same time.

"What you need to do to get her to like you is to give off a different presentation. Work harder, find more swag, be more open and less afraid. Just find a way to not really be the man that you are right now. When you assert something like that, you might have a chance. But until then, there is no way that you can make it work. If you want her, think about how much you would be willing to change your behavior." She said, and then I was thinking about what she had said, and I was unsure of what was said now.

"Is there a way that I can be able to get somebody to like me while being mostly myself." I said, and then after I had said that, I was sort of unsure of what was to be happening now. Riley did not say anything as she headed out of the kitchen, clearly thinking that there was not much that she was going to want to say at this rate. That she was just thinking that I would not be able to get it even if I attempted to.

That was the last real major event that really happened for about a four or five weeks. I had been in school for a while by that point, and I had started to be social enough to where I was not really hated by my class mates, but not popular enough to really be considered everybody friends and stuff. I was just popular enough to where I can go down the hallway and make small talk with people and be fine with that. Nicole and I did not really do much, but we did make small talk once every three or four days if we saw each other. Dakota and Ashley hung out with me still, and once every weekend or so, Dakota and I would stay at each others house, with us switching who would do it every week. I had enjoyed being in Wayside. I really had. Hell, even Riley was seeming to sort of grow out of her initial protesting of the place. Almost like she actually was starting to enjoy the place herself. Although she would not be caught dead admitting something like this out loud. Life had finally looked like it was becoming good for us.

I had actually almost forgotten about the grinder noise, and when it happened, I was kind of shocked to hear it again, but remembered the time when I heard it at the tree house, and reminded myself that every six weeks or so, I needed to get ready to hear that again, and I moved on. I had also entirely forgotten about labyrinth by that point.

The reason that I bring this up is because I really honestly did not think too much on this stuff anymore, and I was actually living a relatively normal life by then. I did not really feel like I was living a life that I would be too against and stuff. I was just hanging out with Dakota again, and that was when I was getting ready for the next sleep over. For once, Ashley was coming along. By this point, the three of us hung out enough to where our parents figured that they could trust her for one night.

"One thing I do wish that I could do is figure out what is going on with this town. It always seems like there is some undercover secret and stuff. I just want to know what that secret is honestly." Ashley said, as we were hanging out, and Dakota was laying back, as if sort of thinking that Ashley was just being scared for no real good reason.

"I think that maybe the town just does not want to talk about that station that is up there. It seems like that is the one thing that nobody likes me to mention about this place. Like they don't seem to mind the missing people, or even the grinder, but when you bring up that station, that is when they turn cold." Dakota said, and he looked at me, wondering what I wanted to say to the matter.

"It does not really bother me all that much to be honest. I am just fine being in school. I mean, I am just trying to enjoy myself here. Not look into something that I know I can't solve." I said, giving a complete one eighty of how I felt six weeks ago when I had heard the grinder for the first time. I felt like it was just something that I should not be involved with, and that was something that I was fully willing to admit when I thought about it.

"I think that there are just too many things going on here for me to be focused on some silly investigation. Besides, I feel like I am slowly getting through to Nicole." I said, and then that was when Ashley and Dakota both looked at me, as if thinking that I was insane, and wanted to find a way to be nice about it. Which to be honest, I was not really in the mood for, but I was ready for them to just try to be 'honest' with me again, in their usual tone.

"I think that Nicole might just be leading you on. Just trying to get you to feel like you can be open with her. I think that maybe you need to be more careful about something like this. Just in case if it gets really bad. But I guess that maybe you are already set on something like this anyway." After Dakota told me that, I was sort of feeling like maybe he was having a good point. But I did not care. I felt the need to try at the very least.

"I think that everybody needs to be given a chance. Let's not forget that you guys were technically taking a risk by being my friend. Most people would have been telling you that this was a silly route, and that you needed to be with better people. I think that I need to try at least." I said, and then I was sort of wanting to find a way to get them to finally break through with this. But despite what was going on in my mind, I was thinking that maybe I should not be fighting this battle and stuff. I was feeling like this was going to be a battle that I was setting myself too deeply for, and that I was just needing to actually be more careful about the planning of it all.

"I don't know. Besides, I already have other people that I am looking at. Other people that I think are really hot." Dakota said, and then that was when Ashley looked like she was really interested in hearing what he had thought on the matter. I was wondering if she liked him, or if she was so tired of hearing me and Nicole that she was wanting to finally expand the narrative a bit more with hearing Dakota's side of it.

"Who do you like? I'll give my answer. I think that Troy is kind of cool. I think that maybe I should go and try to hang out with him some time. See if he might be liking me." Ashley said, and then she was looking like she was just sort of thinking that such a thing was going to be a lot of fun. I did not want to be getting on her case of how silly it was that she was getting on my case for liking Nicole when she was liking the basketball star of our grade. I was thinking that it was silly and in a way mildly hypocritical.

"Fine, if you guys are cornering me on this, I guess that I will bite. I like that Emily girl. I mean, she's kind of cool. Don't know much about her. Maybe a little too short for my liking." Dakota said, as he laughed at that statement. Since Emily was one of the very few people in our fourth grade year that was actually shorter than him. I was then thinking that maybe he was just going to have to get used to it.

"So I guess that we all have somebody who we can laugh about liking. Now I think it is time of us to start going easy on each other." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing them sort of looking as if they wanted to concede this whole issue. I saw them looking like they had wanted to change the subject before I would turn it into one where I was going to be the winner. I decided that I would help them with that, and not make it too much for them to handle.

"I think that maybe when its winter break, which is going to be soon, then maybe we should be going out and going to the tree house again. I think that something like this might be a lot of fun. I mean, it's been nearly two months since I been there last, and I want to see if there is anything else there at all." I said, and I was seeing them looking like maybe such a thing was not going to be the worst thing to go after.

"Yeah, let's go and do that. Hopefully something else will be there, and it will not out feeling like nothing good would come out of it." Dakota said, and then he was looking like he was wanting to see how it would be done. Since we barely had any clue on how we would get there in the snow, and if we were really going to be ready for more investigation and stuff. I don't know. But I felt it was worth a try. And if for nothing else, it could be a dose of normal child hood fun after all the stuff we went through this school year so far.

Another several weeks passed, and I heard the grinder again, and this time, when I had heard it, I was much less willing to brush it off as I had been before. I felt like if I was going to be hearing this as often as I had been, then I needed to have some idea of what I was going to be really ready for. I felt like it was the least that I could fucking do considering the situation. So with that, I was just wanting to look into who had most recently gone missing. To sort of see what I could be able to learn by something like that. I just felt like it was time for me to start branching out the stuff that I was looking into. Start to really understand what this town really was.

It was pretty easy for me to start because I had found out that the mayor was going to be giving a lecture on the town and the history behind it all. I was feeling like when he would be giving his lecture, I would be able to be getting him to tell me the truth. I felt like this would be the one time that I could be able to strike, and not be considered a loser for such a thing.

Dakota seemed to not agree with me on this assertion that I had made here. "Honestly Sheldon, you are going to lose any cool points that you have been able to build up in the last several months if you start asking him some questions. Everybody would be mad at you for making them listen to his lecture for so long. I would almost rather be in class than listen to his lectures again."

"Yeah, I'm actually with Dakota on this one. I mean, I have nothing against learning more about things, but I think that you really need to watch out for that man. He gives me the creeps. Besides, when you have to deal with the same thing every year, you start to really lose what little interest that you already had in what is being told." Ashley said, and then I looked at the two of them, as if wanting to know what was going on.

"He does this every year? Why would he come by so often? I think that such a thing would seem a little pointless. Why not other other or every third year?" I asked, and I was just feeling like this was one of the more valid questions that I could ask on the matter. "I mean, if you did it every other year or something, then that would still be enough to make sure that everybody in that school hears the lecture once, but not enough to make them sick and tired to even see you." After I had said that, Dakota shrugged, as if thinking that the way that the mayor worked was rather mysterious and that there was no point in trying to make some sense out of it.

"I think that maybe he just fears that people will not remember the good heritage of the town or something like that. Not like it really even exists, considering the fact that this town barely even has all that many things going on in it. Kind of a boring place honestly." Dakota said, and then he had looked at me, as if unsure on if I was going to confirm or deny the fact that this town was not all that interesting. He seemed to think that maybe I should be the authority on this subject considering the fact that I was the only one who had lived somewhere else first.

"I would say this place is more interesting than where I used to live, considering the fact that I lived in a place that only had like three thousand people or something. This place is a metropolis in comparison." I said, and then I was thinking hard about that place. Mainly because I had a hard time really remembering what it was like in the first place. It had been so many months that I was more and more forgetting the very set up the town had and stuff. I was almost thinking that this was a blessing in a way, considering how annoying it was.

"I guess that's fair. But imagine life like in New York, or Los Angeles. Those seem so exciting. And here, we are in a town where the biggest news story is missing people, and then under that the biggest news story is the occasional teenager who is caught having sex in a public area, or doing drugs underage." Dakota said, as if ashamed that he did not get to really have what he had wanted in the first place.

"I supposed that maybe this is not as exciting as places like New York as you say. But in all honesty, I think that this town is probably doing just fine as it is. I would rather stick with a town that does not have very much going on in it than a town where there is controversy every day." Ashley said, and then I looked at the two of them, as if wanting to get right back to the main topic at hand, since I felt like that was more important.

"As for the mayor speech, do you think that he has any plans to be asking any questions? If he does, I think I might ask him about what he thinks of the missing people, or the grinder. I think that something like this is a very good question." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was sort of wondering if they were actually wanting me to do this. Or if this was something that I had to be working with on my own. I just felt like I needed to know what he would do to make sure this would not keep happening, or if he had any plans at all.

"I think he will take questions, but I think that he goes on such long tangents in the first place, that there will be no real point in even asking him any. All he does is talk about every single thing going on in this town for hours on end." After Dakota said that, he was sounding a bit bored at this topic, and I was telling myself that I just needed to not be pressing him any further about this for his own fucking sake.

"I will see if he addresses the points I want to ask, and if he does, then I will just leave it alone. I just need to know what is going on with the missing people in this town. I just feel like I would never let it go if I did not know." I said, and even though I was sincerely wishing that the mayor would address this, I had a feeling that this was going to be the last thing on his mind. He was going to be going really far from that discussion in order to just pretend like this town had nothing going on.

"Besides, I think that this is something that he can't really worry too much about. I mean, sure I may not like him very much, but he is the mayor of a big city, and he has to deal with giant things all the time. He might simply just not have the time to be worried about missing people or a grinder." Ashley said the first and I was feeling like probably the only thing that would be remotely close to defending the mayor. But she was probably just trying to find something here that can be able to make him seem like he was not such a bad guy after all.

"Yeah, I guess if sitting in your office every day smoking half a day talking with businessmen is busy, then I guess that maybe he is the most busy man in the entire world." Dakota said with a slight edge to his tone, and I was thinking about what Riley would think if she knew that I was planning on this. She would tell me that I ruined whatever little reputation and hip that I had been able to get.

That was pretty much the main discussion on that front. I just really wanted to know what he was going to tell us. Despite what everybody was saying, I was sort of feeling like I just needed to know what was going on here. I felt like this was the only thing that I could be able to have at mind that could be able to truly put me at peace.

Another few days had passed and the mayor was giving his presentation. Dakota, Ashley and I sat relatively close to the back. Just trying to act like we did not really care for what was going on. When we did care for relatively different reasons, such as how annoying it was to Dakota, how much the mayor creeped Ashley out for literally no reason, and I was just wanting to be absorbed into what he was talking about since I felt like this would be really important to find out more of.

"Hello everybody, my name is Jimmy White. I have been the mayor here for a little while now, and I have come here to discuss some things with you about this lovely town." He said, and he seemed like a relatively nice guy from the first few sentences that he had given off. He was then looking around at us, as if trying to scope out what we were all thinking. "Now I know that you can't wait to get back to your fun academics, and I don't take too much of your time for that reason, so I will try to be as quick as possible."

"So this town has recently faced a large economic boom that has contributed to a large sum of people moving to this town every single year. That is why I have to have this speech every year, to make sure that the people who come in here know about what to expect here. The town faced many problems, but with the guidance and the election of the great governor, he was able to start to get us out of the dirt, and was able to give us some great hope. And I would like very much to thank Mr Senicourt for being able to give us a chance to have a good place to live in." The mayor said, and put a slight smile on his face, as if thinking about something that was rather funny to him.

"Now I have had the chance to meet this man, and while he may be a bit old for many of you people here, he seems to be just as aware of the town and what is going on around it as we all are. It seems like we all have one big goal in mind. One goal that will keep us driving forward, and that is coming up with the best living situation of our own." Jimmy continued and got right to where I was more interested in.

"Several years ago, the town faced a mining disaster. Most of the mining location had started to collapse, and it had killed many people. This was the main thing that led to a large piece of our economic recession, and a large part of how we had to find a way to recover from what had happened, no matter what the cost was." He said, and then for the next hour or so went on a long story about what had happened. By the end, I was actually kind of floored by this, and I wanted to know more, and figured I could study at the library. See if that had anything.

He went on for about an hour or so before he was done with his lecture, and the entire time that I was listening to him, I was so curious on what he was going to be telling me that I did not think at all about the fact that I still wanted to be asking him some questions. I was really wishing to, but it was the last thing on my mind, and it was the one thing that I had sort of beat myself up over when I think back on it. The one thing I felt like I should have just done right away.

After the lecture was over, the rest of the day went pretty smoothly with little to no hiccup, and I did not have to deal with people complaining about me dragging on class or anything like that. So that was something that I felt like could be seen as a plus side to this. It was also something that I wish that I could just be able to sort of put behind me and stuff. I did not really want to deal with people acting like I was just being a burden.

Eventually, it was the last day before winter break, and I was super excited. Not for having two weeks off, which was something that I had no problem having, but because of the fact that I was going to be able to go to that tree house again, which was something that I had always wanted to be doing. It was something that had been at the back of my mind for months, and it was something that I just really, really, really wanted to get into checking before I lost too much interest here.

"Are you guys still able to go? I really want to go on and see what it is like. I hope that not too much has changed from it in the last several months." I said, and I thought about that a bit, almost thinking that if it were to change, then life would just never be the same again. It would almost be like it was going to just be a huge let down if it was too different, but it was also going to be a sort of nice journey to be seeing what life was truly like now. I did not know what to be expecting, or what to be thinking, but I wanted to see what it was like nonetheless.

"Yeah, I will be able to go. Took a while to convince my parents that I was not going to be doing anything crazy. They did not look like they quite believed me, but at the same time, they looked like they would rather just let me be doing my own thing than to be letting me down and stuff. So they told me that I can go." Dakota said, and we were both looking at Ashley, wondering what she was going to be saying on the matter.

"I will go. I am just worried that something has happened up there lately, and it will not really be the way that I am used to. I feel like something like this would be quite the let down, I think we would all agree. I just hope that it is not exactly like that." Ashley had said, and she was looking down, as if she was even hating to think of such a thing. But then she was looking at me, almost wanting to see what I was going to say.

"I'm personally just more excited to be going out and finally seeing it again. It was so much fun to be seeing it the first time that I don't want to be letting it down again. I just want to have some fun now. I just think that perhaps I have to be more careful on what my parents might think if they see me going into a forest like this. Since they are still worried that I might be doing something dangerous." I said, sort of unsure of what they would be saying. If they would understand me, or if they would tell me that this was something that I needed to just be ready for.

"I guess that maybe the idea of just seeing it again is a bit exciting. I don't really know what to be expecting though. And that is the thing that I am sort of worried about. That we are setting ourselves into something that we are simply not ready for." After Ashley said that, she was looking and sounding like this whole thing was truly bothering her. I did not know what was going to her so badly, but I decided not to be getting in her case about it. She was always more insecure than us, and this was no shock.

"I think that as long as we are all together, then everything is going to be fine. I think that we just need to have some fun with this, and not be taking this whole thing too fucking seriously. I just want to see what we can be doing, and I think that you guys are going to not be feeling this is so bad once we get into it." I said, and I was truly meaning what I had said. I did not think there was any level of lying to it.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go and do it before we change our mind on the matter, and before we start to act like this is a terrible idea." Dakota had said, and then after he had said this, I was seeing Ashley looking like she was sort of getting over it, and that soon enough, she was telling herself this was not so bad after all.

We were getting near the tree house, and I was sort of unready for what was to be coming along now. I was just sort of feeling like when I would finally see the tree house, I would be able to know the truth to everything going on right now. "Hey, I am scared about what we are going to be seeing. I am wondering if you are actually thinking that we will truly get what we want in here. What we think we deserve to actually be seeing." I said, and we were climbing up the ladder with Dakota taking the lead, Ashley in second, and me in last place.

"Don't be scared about change. If you really think that change is going to be such a bad thing, then life is going to be rough for you." Dakota said in a matter of fact tone, and while it bothered me that he was reacting that way, I was sort of telling myself that there was a level of truth to what he had been saying. That maybe I was needing to sort of see it in his perspective. Of the fact that you needed to grow up, and you needed to sort of pretend like you were just going to like what was to come up next, when there was nothing that we would truly be ready for at all.

We were at the door, and then Dakota was thinking of something to say. Something that was sort of getting to the back of his mind, even if he did not really want to think about it too much, he just sort of knew what was to be coming along with it. "I think that maybe something is going on here. I mean, the grinder went off nearly three weeks ago, and nobody has gone missing yet."

As we were getting inside of the tree house, I had thought that what he had said was actually a good point. I mean, the other two times it went off when I lived here, somebody was gone within a few days. The first time being that person near Riley's grade, and the second time being somebody who was a junior at the high school. I mean, yeah sure maybe so many people going missing makes the story not seem like a big deal, but it was still a bit rough to deal with. "Yeah, that is a good point. Maybe the trend and the connection between the two is not nearly as strong as I expected it to actually be." I said, and then I was wondering what Dakota and Ashley thought on the matter.

"I think that if we really wanted to make sense out what is going on, we just have to see if this is a one time thing. I mean, we are nearly half way to when it is supposed to be going off again, and if something were to happen right away that time, then I guess that it is not something that we should be overtly worried about. Well, it is, but you know what I mean... It would be the new normal..." Ashley said, and then she looked down, almost wanting to hurt herself over the admitting that the idea of people going missing more often would be a revertion of the norm.

"It is interesting to think about when you live in a place for a long enough time that this becomes the normal. I mean, I never had to deal with something like this where I originally lived. And I think that something like this is a really good piece of news to me, since I do not think that I would want to deal with something like that ever." I said, and then after I had said that, I was feeling like I was just being selfish. Considering the fact that I had been going along with this for such a long time.

"I think that if I lived in a place where something like a grinder and missing cases were not a thing, then I would be thinking that something really messed up is going on. I would be sort of wondering what would create a town to have such little problems. Would almost seem unreal and stuff." Dakota said, and then he was looking right at me, and he was wondering if I had anything to be saying of it. I was thinking that there was no need to be saying anything on the matter. Since doing so would just be sort of opening a large can of worms.

"It is something that I think I would never have been ready for. But I think that it is something that is worth the trade off. Considering how much better of a living situation my family has been in lately and stuff, I would be lying if I said that I felt like there were no benefits that could be able to come out of this. So I believe that maybe we should just go along with it." I said, and then I had thought about how in the three months that we had been here already, the money that my father had been earning as well as even my mother on the few days a week she could work, was enough to really help us have extra leg room.

For once we were in a living situation that did not feel like we were truly screwed. I did not know how good something like this really was, but I knew that in my mind, it was going to be worth it. And it was going to be something that I would have to try to remember when thinking about what I was going to be sort of let down not having or anything.

"In a way, I think that maybe my father joined this job because he knew that there was something that was going to be coming out of it. He knew that there was a way that he was going to be able to help me out. Help both me and Riley out. In a way, I think my father cares about us more than he cares about himself, and that is both great and a little bit scary to be thinking of." I said, and I genuinely meant it. I was not just saying that to boost my fathers standing among people. It was something that I had honestly felt, and it was something that I honestly respected him for.

"I think that maybe when you are around him next, you can thank him for the time and the effort that he had put into the family. I think that he would really like you doing something like that for him. Besides, a little appreciation always goes a long way when it comes to my mom and dad. Every time they do something for me, they make me aware that they want to know if I appreciated it." Ashley said, and I thought about what she had said, and I felt like what she was saying was a true enough matter that I had to at least consider something like this.

"I will try to do something like that. Maybe you are right. That it is nice to just go out and show people that you do like it when something is going on that I enjoy. I think that maybe they just wish that I have done something like this more often." I said, and then I felt like something like this was a bit silly, and that I could not believe that I did not at least consider something like this at all in my time here.

"My parents are always on the clock. I usually only see them during night time. Not that it bothers me. Always gives me more time to hang out with my friends and just not be home. Besides, the longer that I wait until I get home, the longer I can put off my homework, and the more that I can just pretend like that is not a thing to deal with." Dakota said, and I smiled at the way he was speaking, thinking it was nice to see him reverting to his old way of speaking.

"I usually just do my homework right before I go to bed at night. To get it over with, and not have to deal with it in the morning or later." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then thinking of if that was really the better way after all.

We spent about an hour in that tree house, just looking around and seeing if there were anything that we could fine or use. To be honest, it was kind of a let down that we could not, but in a way, I was not at all shocked, and that was something that I told myself that maybe I needed to be more ready for in the future. The sort of let down that something like this would be able to bring up. But I decided against saying something like this to not let down my friends. But how little I knew that something like this would be the last normal time of my life, as when I got home that day, I was not at all ready for what was to happen next.

When I was near my house, I was seeing a sight that I never thought I would see in my life. I was seeing a bunch of cars in the area, and I was sort of scared of what the context behind this whole thing would have really been. I felt like I was just needing to see what the police were doing, and then when they were done explaining to me what was happening, then I would try and find a way to make things actually work.

I found my father standing outside, and he was looking right at the officer as he was answering some questions. Dakota and Ashley were right behind me, and when they were behind me, I was seeing that they had clearly looked like this was something that they were not very ready for. "Oh my god, what is going on here?" Ashley asked, and then she was looking at me, wondering what I was feeling now.

"I don't really know if I want to be going there. It seems really scary." I said, and I was truly having the fear of god kicking in. I was having a hard time seeing what was going on here, and as a result, I was not sure what the hell was even able to make me be ready for what was to be happening. "But I think that I might have to, if it involves my family."

With that, I had started to walk towards the house, and Dakota and Ashley were unsure if they were supposed to be following me yet or not. They were wanting to follow me, but at the same time, they had been unsure of if they were even supposed to be doing this, or if this was something that I should just be doing on my own. They decided that they would stay at the side line and wait until further news before they did anything too big.

I was coming up the path way, and some police officers were kind of confused on who I was, and why I was doing this, but they decided against telling me to get lost since they were thinking that maybe there was a good reason why I was doing this. They figured that I would not be setting myself into this whole disaster if it were not important for me. I eventually reached where my father was, and when we were looking eye to eye, that was when the officer who was talking to him looked slightly annoyed at the interruption but my father was holding up a finger, as if telling him that this was not to be debated.

"This is my son you are talking to right now." My father said, and then the officer instantly shut up, thinking that it might be important to let him have a moment to just talk to me about what was going on here. Then he looked right down at me. "Look I know that it's your birthday, and that you were more excited for something else." My father said and then I looked at him confused, totally forgetting that my birthday was December Twenty First. I was so excited for winter break and being with some friends for once that I did not give a fuck what I was doing today. But the way he was acting went simply beyond birthday stuff, and was getting into a much more serious ordeal.

"Riley has not been seen all day, and police are looking around for her, but there is nothing that they have found so far. I think that perhaps she has gone missing." My father said, and while it was perfectly obvious to me what was going on, even a ten year old, I figured he was deep enough in his grief to where he did not want to deal with me acting like a asshole right now. "Do you know anything about what happened or how she was?"

Even the police officer seemed to be getting more patient with me, as if sort of thinking that I could tell him something. It was the local sheriff, and I was seeing him looking like despite some pity that he had for me, he was needing to just see how he was going to be able to use me to help him out. To sort of find a way to help him out in this impossible context. "Any information that you have for us is going to be really important. Even if you don't think it matters too much, it could be the missing piece that we really need."

I thought about it a bit more, and I shook my head. "I mean, I don't really know. I mean, she always talked about wanting to go back home, and that she was already hating this place. She did not want to be moving here, thinking that it would ruin what she had back home. But I thought that she was getting better at this place. It looked like she was even going out on some dates, and was putting it all behind her a step at a time."

"Who was she going out on dates with? Do you think that we could be able to speak to any of them?" He asked, and I was really not sure on this one, and this was one where I knew that I would not be able to really help them out no matter what. But I felt like maybe I can try to give them something else.

"I don't know about who she could have been seeing, or who she was really starting to get serious about. But she was talking about how much the missing people were starting to worry the fucking shit out of her." I said, and then I knew that under almost any other situation, my parents would be pissed at a kid my age swearing the way that I had done. But considering the situation, I knew that they were going to let it slide this time. "She was talking about how much the grinder seemed to really be giving her fear of living here. Like she feared something else was going on."

The police officer shook his head, and then he looked at my dad and shrugged. I knew that I did not really help them, and this was their way of trying to be nice about it. But the also knew that considering how young I was, maybe it was silly for them to assume that I would have been able to really make much a real difference in the first place.

"Thanks for trying at least. I am sure that if we find your sister, she would be proud of the fact that you are at least holding on strong. That you are at least doing your best." The officer said, and I looked at the name tag on his shirt. It read Garret and I did not really think too much of it at the time, but I was going to realize how much this man was going to really be making a difference in the long run. "I think that the best that you can do in these coming weeks is just simply not do anything too crazy. That doesn't mean never hang out with your friends or anything, but when you do, just maybe stay at their house, and come home at a certain time every time. That way you can be able to have them be sure that you are fine. We do not want two kids going missing so soon after another. Even though boys don't go missing as much. Especially so soon after your birthday."

I nodded, and I felt like I needed to just take this easily. I also felt like I needed to tell Dakota and Ashley what is going on, that way they can be able to be there for me in my first few hours of grief, and that way I could be able to have them help me break the very thing that they told me not to be doing.

When I met them, I decided to tell them right away. "Riley has not been seen. She is reported missing, and now we are here trying to figure out what to do. I hope that maybe you guys can be there for me right now." I said, and then after I had said that, they were both looking like they wanted to find a way to help me out with this.

"That is really bad. I am so sorry that something like this is happening right now. Do you have any plans on what you are going to make sure that she can be able to come back home and stuff?" Ashley asked, and she was just looking like she wanted to see what she can really do. She was looking at Dakota, as if hoping that he was wanting to find a way to help out. But in a way, he was just unsure of what he was really even going to do to make a difference. I did not blame him for feeling this way, but I felt like I just needed anything possible.

"I want to find her. I really do. But I have no idea how something like this is going to even happen. I think that this is just going to be leading me down a path of feeling awful. For not really making any real difference." I said, and then I was looking around. I just felt like nothing else mattered. I felt like everything was my fault somehow, and that I needed to try and find a way to make it so that I actually had a chance to make things right. To make her home, and bring our family to some level of normalcy.

"If you try though, if you work hard to make it work, you might be able to have a chance. You might be able to make something work. Do you think that the effort will be worth it?" Dakota asked, and I looked around, feeling like it would not be worth it. But at the same time, I was sort of finding myself thinking that if for nothing else, if I tried and failed, I can say that I did something. And that this can be able to make me feel like I was not going to be totally lost. So I looked right at Dakota and Ashley, and I was giving them a look of sincere determination.

"I think that I want to try. If I try and I fail, then that is one thing. But I am not going to be going around and not doing anything at all. I need to give it a go, and see how things can perhaps work out." I said, and then with that, this was when I was seeing Dakota and Ashley looking like they had finally started to make some sense out of it all. Almost like they were wanting me to say such a thing such a long time ago.

"Alright, well where do we start then? Do you think that you may have any idea on what she was doing on her own time?" Ashley asked, and she was holding up her hand. I was then thinking long and hard, and I was shaking my head. I could not find something that could bring it together, no matter how hard I tried. But I felt like perhaps I had to at least try to come up with something. Come up with a plan that did not make me feel like I was going to bang my head against a wall.

"I think that we should be trying to find one of her friends houses. You know, maybe that can give us a clue when we talk to them about what they liked to do after school." I said, and I looked at Dakota. He was looking like he was just unsure of what to say. Almost like something at the back of his mind told him he needed to get us out of this plan right now.

"I saw a couple of times a house that she would go to with some other girls around her age. It was a few blocks away from where I lived. I don't know if that will help..." Dakota said, and I was ready to say something about us needing to try at least when Dakota said something else that I was not really wanting him to suggest. Since doing so would have made our blindness to the matter much more known from the start. "I think we really have to give the tree house a try. Really search it up and down. Maybe she went there a couple of times. I would not put it beyond the realm of possibility."

I looked down, and I was angry at him for saying this, because I knew that it was true. It was something that we needed to try, and no matter what the result was going to be, we were finally going to have some form of a fucking answer. So with that, I looked at him, and I was nodding in a defeated form. I was just sincerely hoping that nothing else was going to happen to her up there, because then something could have been done about it from the start. "We have to try at least. And if there is something going on up there, then I am the fucking monster, and I should be punished for not noticing."

"Then we all deserve it. I mean, there is no way that anybody could know. You need to give yourself a break here." Ashley said, and I was unsure if what she was saying was going to make me fully ready to listen to her. But I was willing to just pretend like this was not getting to me all that much.

But before we could debate this any further, we were going right to the forest. Not giving a damn what my parents would be saying. Not caring if they were going to tell us that I needed to not do this. I did not care, and I was wanting to find my fucking sister. That was all that I had wanted to do, and that was all that I was really needing to do. I wanted to find Riley to give me a chance at actually being happy again.

Eventually, we were getting near where the tree house of the forest was. I knew I needed to cry if she was gone, and this was related to it. I would be so mad at myself for everything in my life. But before I could think about it too much more, Dakota was calling out to Ashley and I. Before I even knew what he was wanting to show us, Ashley was going over there, and she was wanting to get me there as well. "This is really important Sheldon." She sounded utterly earnest about it, and I decided that I would not argue with her on it.

Eventually I was where they had wanted me to be, and I was looking at the tree from the back side, which I had never done since we always went to the ladder right away and never really looked into this area too much. We did not ever feel like there was a point to it all. I was looking at the area Dakota and Ashley told me to check, and I was just seeing a bunch of names on the tree. I was just unsure of the point to it all though.

"It seems like a lot of people who had come here, who would visit this tree house, would carve their name on here. To sort of prove that they had been here before. I don't know how else to describe it. But this is the one that you really want to be looking at." Dakota said, and then with that, he was showing me the one name in the world that I wanted nothing to do with this tree house. The one name that I thought was a safe assumption would have nothing to do with the tree house.

'Riley Lee.' I saw, and when I had seen this, and how relatively new the carving looked compared to most other places, no more than a few weeks old, or maybe even more recently, I knew that it had to be her. This made me feel sick to my stomach, and I was really hating the situation that I was now finding myself in. "When would she even come here? I think that there really is no point in doing this when she barely had a social life here." I said, and then Dakota and Ashley both hugged me when I needed it the most ever in my life.

I did not know it at the time, but this was really going to have a rough spot on me in the future. It was going to get in my way a lot more than I was ever thinking that it would have. The whole situation with Riley would for better or for worse determine my entire life from this point forward.

It took a couple of days of just sticking around the house, sort of trying to act like I was understanding what the fucking hell was even going on here for me to act like everything was finally not pissing me off. I mean, Riley and I were never close. We never really got much chance to actually get along with each other. But it was still something that she did not deserve, and it was something that I felt like I had deserved much more than she got. But I did not get much time to think about it when there was a knock on my house door. I figured that I would just get this over with, and see who it was.

I was seeing that it was Dakota and Ashley. "I know that it's been a little while since you got out and did something with us. We were just worried about you, and wanted to check up on how you were doing. If you are wanting to talk with us that is." Ashley said, and she was looking like she was just wanting to see how I would react. I was looking down, uncertain of what I was supposed to be feeling in any way. I was feeling like I just had to find a way to talk with them, and not be getting in their way. That I had to just be nice about what I was doing.

"Yeah, you're right. It has been a while since we talked, and I would want to do that more. I guess that I will just try and do what I can here." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was looking at Dakota. "It is just a lot of stuff to be thinking about. But it is something that I am sort of slowly getting over. It is something that I want to just put behind me a bit more." I said, and then I was just thinking about how rough this whole thing really was. I did not really want to do much of this, but it was something that I was going to just need to do and get get over with.

"What would you want to do if we hung out today?" Dakota asked, and I was looking down, feeling like my answer was going to suck. But it was still a answer that was going to be the truth nonetheless, and it would be the one that would give to them regardless. "I mean, you're the one that needs to find something to keep you going."

"I want to find Riley. I simply just want to find here, before I do anything else. It is that fucking simple. I want to know if I can be able to sort of have the fucking answer solved for me." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was honestly not giving a single fuck what they were saying. I needed to be honest, and I was giving that to them.

Dakota and Ashley looked at each other, as if thinking that this was going to be a rough road right now. That there was no way in hell that we were going to be able to do this. But then they looked down, as if thinking that they just needed to try. "So Sheldon, do you feel like you can be able to find something that can get you to find her?" Ashley asked me, trying to just be as to the point about it as possible. Thinking that maybe my answer could be able to give us a starting point.

"I don't know. I think that the tree house is the best that we got. Or talking to her friends. I would not mind trying the police." I said, and then I was looking at them, wondering what they were going to think of my ideas. I was desperate, and I was in on this fight alone. I was the only one who really had any stakes on finding her. They were just there to make sure that I did not get myself killed along the fucking way.

With that, we were walking along, and Dakota was looking like he was just trying to find something to say that would not make him sound like a insensitive asshole or anything. "How have you been holding up lately? I mean, you seem like this is really getting to you more than you expected." Dakota asked, and I knew he was not trying to sound rude about it. But he was just genuinely not seeing what was going on here. He was thinking that this was just strange that I went from being someone who did not care much for Riley to suddenly being somebody who took her going missing super fucking hard.

"I don't know. I mean, I thought that I was going to be fine with what was going on. I thought that I could handle it. But in all honesty, I think that I was just too scared to be prepared for something that I had no power over. I have no power over anything going on here, and that is what is getting to me. the fact that the police have not found a answer, and the fact that I am supposed to be relying on them no matter what." I said, and then after I had said that to them, both Dakota and Ashley were trying to think of what it would be like to lose hope.

"I feel awful. I feel like there was something I could have done about it. I mean, I know that I am useless. But I want to feel useful. I want to feel like I am doing something." I said, and then after I had said that to them, neither Dakota or Ashley had something to say to me here. They were looking like they just thought I was insane. That I was going to be saying something that would only be making things much worse for me.

We were eventually getting close to the police station, and as we were heading there, I was seeing that I better just ask them and get it over with. I mean, there was no reason not to at least try and see what I can do with them. "I am glad that you decided to be there for me. Makes me feel like there are people who actually care about what I am going through." I said, and then I was wondering if they were even really going to actually listen or not.

"We just think that it is the least that we can do to make sure you are fine. I think that if we did not do this, then we would just be the ones who were really messing you up." Dakota had said, and after he was saying that, I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to say more. But at the same time, he was thinking that he had made his point now. He was feeling like there was virtually no more point that he could possibly make.

I was at the door, just sort of feeling like I was going to find a way to pull it all together. I was unsure of what I would even say to people once I was in there. That was the thing that was getting to me. The fact that I was going to be going into a place that in general, I was just going to be sort of lost on. The one thing that I wanted to do, and I was going to have to be going through fucking loops and hoops to have a chance to make it.

"Let's just see what we can do. It is the very least that can be done." Dakota told me, as if trying to find a way to make me feel better. I mean, he was not really doing the most bang up job at it, but could I really blame him for what he was saying right now. I was then just telling myself that I could not, and that he was just trying to find a way to make me feel better. So with that, I was opening up the door, and then I was inside of the police station. Ashley and Dakota were right behind me, as if just trying to act like they were down low.

I was walking around, and the entire time that I had been walking, I was seeing that there was only one room where the officer was not being talked with. "Let's not go in there. I think that they might be fine." I said, and then I was going right inside of that room. Dakota and Ashley were looking like they were just going to stick to the back of the room, and let me do this. I did not blame them, but I did wish that they could have found a way to help me through with this.

Once I was sitting down in front of the officer, he was looking at me, as if almost wanting to just get to the point. Like had a long and rough day and was really not in the mood with me dancing around the point or something. I figured that I would give him just that, since I was just as over this as he might have been. "I was wanting to know how my sister Riley is doing, and if she has been found. I really need to know so that way I can be able to try and have some peace of mind." I said and then after I was telling him that, he was looking right at me, and the look on his face was sort of to indicate that he was thinking it was rough that I was in this stage of mind considering what was going on.

"We are trying to find her. We are really doing our best. But I do not know if something like this can happen. I think that you might be on your own much more than you would really want to be." He was telling me, and then after he had said that, he was just looking like it was sad that he had just admitted that.

"Well, can you be able to tell me what you do know?" I asked, and then I was seeing him looking like he was conflicted on if he should be going around and telling me all of this stuff, and if I was really going to be ready for it. I did not know if I was going to be ready for it, but I was ready for him to throw the punch anyways. I felt like I just needed to know what he was feeling.

"I don't know anything. I have not been on the case that much. It seems like every time there is some information that comes along that we can be able to use, it just goes to a dead end. We really have no clue what is going on. Where-ever she went, she did a really good job hiding herself. Or if its worse, then we have no idea what could be going on." He said, and he was wondering what I was wanting to say to that. If anything could be said at all.

I had felt like he has basically told us that I should just give up, and that there was no point to any of this. It was awful for me to hear this, and that I had been basically told that any hope that I could possibly have might as well just be gone. But then after that, I was sort of thinking of something else to say. Something else that can get him to want to speak. "Can you at least be able to tell me what the last lead you were able to get was? So that way, I can be able to have an idea what is happening here?" I asked, and then he was looking like he might as well let me have that at least.

"Well, I feel like I should not be doing this, on the chances that somebody could interfere with our investigation, but we might as well just tell you since I doubt that anything is going to come out of it. The most recent lead that we have so far is a tree house in the forest. All her friends were telling us about how she was brought there about a week before we went missing, and how she carved her name to the tree in order to symbolize forever that she was a resident of Wayside. I don't know. Maybe a tradition that this town has. I don't know what I can tell you there. But we only checked it out yesterday. We have not actually gone inside of the tree house yet." The officer said, and he was wondering if I had anything to say to that.

"Do you plan on going up there to try and find something else out? Or are you going to just sort of let it slide?" I asked, and then after I had asked them this, they were looking like they had wanted to say more, but at the same time, doing such a thing was going to compromise the investigation. But he was clearly looking as if he thought that did not even matter much anymore.

"We are going to be looking in there soon enough. We just have to make sure that we are on the right track. I think that even you surely must be able to understand that we need to take every single hint very carefully. We can't just go in blindly to that place." He was saying, trying to sound reasonable, but was instead just coming out as somebody worried for himself.

"Do you think that we could be able to go there and see something for ourselves?" I asked, just trying to find a way to make it sound like I was not worried about setting my life in there. But I just needed to know what was going on. I needed to find my sister, and know what fucking happened to her. I wanted the truth. No matter how rough it was.

"You can check there. Legally there is nothing telling you that you can't. But I would highly advise against it. I mean, you don't really know what you will be seeing there, and even if you did, I don't know if you are ready for such a task at hand. I think that you might just be better letting the police do their job." He said, and he was trying to sound reasonable about it, but was hiding a level of fear in his voice that we would do it.

"Thank you very much for your time, and we will do whatever we can to make sure that my sister is found. As long as it is within legal bounds of course." I said, and then after I had told him this, the officer was looking like he was wanting to say more. But at the same time, he was just sort of thinking that there was no way he was going to say something I would want to hear.

"Please, just make sure that your parents do not have another kid to deal with that goes missing. There are a lot of things that come along here. There are many things that we try to do for this place, and having another kid go missing because they simply can't stay down and let the police do their job is something that we do not want to deal with. We would rather just do the job on our own before we let something else happen to you." He was saying, and I did not really know what to be feeling at this point. I was feeling like I was just going to have to find a way to make him feel like I was not going to do this, when I totally was.

"I will do my best to not go too angry at you. But please, don't tell me that I should not be focused on my sister. I think that this is something that I have to deal with if I want to feel any form of peace with myself. Any form of peace with the fact that she went missing, and that I did not." I said, and I was truly meaning what I had been saying, but at the same time, I did not know if they were going to truly understand what I was feeling right now. I went to the door, and opened it, not even wanting to wait for his commentary in all honesty.

"I think that there are enough things to be worried about as it is. You going around, and trying to find your sister is noble. But it is something that we can't stop right now. There is nothing that we can do to make sure that they are fine. I think that surely you must be able to understand this. We are tied to a wall, and we are forced to try and find something else to be doing now." The officer tried to say, as if trying to keep me understanding what I had been feeling.

"Thank you for helping me." I said, and I was done with it after that. I was not really wanting to hear more, so I was not even going to be giving him the chance to say more. I was on my own, and this guy was making it very clear that this was the case. And I did not know if I really wanted that, but at least I had Dakota and Ashley at my side when I was doing all of this now.

As we were walking along, I was seeing both Dakota and Ashley looking like they had been wanting to say more, but were sort of feeling like there was no real reason to try and say more to this. "Sheldon, do you think that maybe there is something going on here?" Ashley asked, and we were getting near that forest. I was holding my hands up, as if a bit annoyed at everything going on now. I was just over every single little thing that was going on around me, and I wanted her to understand that I was on my own.

"Look, there's nothing I can fucking do about it. I think that there is something going on here. Of course I fucking do. But the thing is that I just feel like I have to try and find a way to make this work." I said, just looking down. The entire time that I was having my turn to speak, I was just feeling really insecure. As if me speaking about how I had felt was going to be hurting me. Was going to be a big fucking issue that I would have to try and over come.

"I mean, I hope that the police are telling me the truth about what they are trying to do or not to do. But I also understand that I am supposed to be happy. I am supposed to have a good child hood. And being stuck here, unsure of if I will ever see my sister again, just because nothing is being done, then I feel like I am just too far gone with this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what they were going to try and say to me. "I want Riley back, even if we never got along much, that way at least she can be able to have a good life."

Dakota and Ashley both looked at each other, starting to think about how they must not have been able to really understand what it was really like, and that maybe this was the thing that was keeping them to sort of try and see where I was coming from. "I'm sorry for being like this. I guess that maybe I just don't fully understand what is happening here. I mean, I want to see it your way, but I have a hard time doing so." After Dakota said that, I nodded and smiled at this, feeling like this was actually good.

"And I hope that you never do. I mean, if you were feeling this way, then that would mean that something happened to you. And I would not want that to happen. But let's not waste time. I need to see what I can learn at the tree house." I said, and then after I was telling them this, I was seeing them looking like this was just what we needed to do to sort of get this all over with.

We were getting near the tree house, and I was wondering what the fucking hell I was even going to be doing now. I felt like this whole situation was just going to be a bit too much to do. I was looking around, and I saw the ladder. Despite me wanting to pretend like this was going to be fine, and that I did not need to worry about what was up there, I was telling myself for that for the sake of finding Riley, I had to go up there and ruin the sweet innocence that this place had offered me back in the day.

With that, I was going up the ladder, as I was seeing Dakota and Ashley waiting for a few seconds, on the first time where I was the one who was leading up. I was telling myself that when they would deal with a missing sibling, they would take the time to go up there themselves. That they would take the time and the world to make sure that nothing else would get in their way.

Eventually I opened up the door, and when I had done that, I was seeing Ashley and Dakota finally getting up. As they were up with me, both of them were just sort of unsure of what they were even supposed to be doing now. "Sheldon, I mean, I know that I should not be trying to get you to stop or anything, but do you have any idea what the heck you are even going to be doing here?" He asked, and he was trying to sound nice about it, but I could hear that there was a mild twinge of annoyance to it.

"I feel like there just has to be something in here that Riley has. Something that she placed here for me. I feel like she would not have just left me alone." I said, and then after I had said that, I was going to a small corner in the area, and I was seeing that there was a small box in there. I was very hard trying to remember the first two times that I had been here. That box was not here the first time now that I thought about it, and it was there, looking relatively fresh, the second time.

Part of me was feeling like this was going to be the start that I would need to have a clue on where to go. I was then placing the box down on the floor, and I was looking at it. "I doubt that this will be the one thing that makes everything make sense, but I am willing to at least give it a try." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, both Ashley and Dakota looked a bit unsure of what to say now.

"And what if it is not the thing that we are supposed to look for? Are you just going to be putting it back?" Ashley asked, and I nodded, as if unsure on why she was even asking me this in the first place. I mean, there was no way that I was going to keep something if I had no claim of attachment to it. I mean, sure people should not have placed items in here that they did not want to be taken, but when it was here, the item sort of was free for all, and I was not a monster for taking it.

"I mean, I need any clues that I can get, no matter what the situation really is. End of fucking story. I mean, I don't want any further days of her being gone." I said, and then both Dakota and Ashley sat down. I was opening up the box, and I was seeing a bunch of different things in here. I did not really know what I was exactly looking at, but I knew that whatever this was, it would be the key to what I really needed.

The box was showing something like a picture book. I opened it up, and I did see Riley in some of them. I smiled at her sight, thinking about how now I would wish to see it many more times with the knowledge of what I knew now. I did not think that I would ever get to miss her face that much. But when this was the situation going on here, I could not ever fucking help it. Anything like this was just going to make me feel good about seeing her again. She was hanging out with some people in the pictures, some around her age, and a couple of them a little bit older, but nothing too extremely. Like maybe eighth grade or freshmen. I figured that maybe she did have a friend group outside of the house at school, and this was how she was able to be around them from time to time.

"Sheldon, what are you finding here?" Dakota asked, just wanting to break the silence, and with that, I showed them the picture book. "I think that I might know some of these places at least. Maybe not the people, but the places at least, and maybe there could be some houses here that I might know very vaguely." Dakota said, and then he was showing Ashley what I had found. With that, she was looking down as well.

As they had been looking at that, I was then looking and seeing something that looked like a giant knife. I was holding it, and I was thinking that maybe it was something Riley bought or stole from our family, placed in here so she could be able to have it as self defense if something were to come up. I showed them this, as if wondering what they would say.

"I guess that maybe she was expecting something to be coming up sooner or later, and that this was her way of being ready for it. But if she was expecting something like this so soon already, then how the hell did she get this anyways?" I asked, just suddenly feeling like when I was getting some answers with that picture book, more questions would pop up. The whole thing was a bit annoying, but I was feeling that maybe if I tried hard enough, I could piece it all together.

"I think that maybe she had heard some of the stories about the grinder, or that folk tale, and after seeing some people going missing in town, perhaps thought that she needed to be safe and make sure that she was not going to be the next one to go as well. I just don't know what to say to it besides that." Ashley had said, and despite what she was saying, I was still feeling like I needed to find some other answers. Something that could make me feel like I understood what I was fucking doing right now.

"I guess that I will never know." I said, and I was starting to look deeper, sort of trying to find something else that can be able to help me out looking for this. I was seeing that there was a letter in there. I picked it up, and when I had looked, I was seeing the letter have my name on it. I was confused as to why she would be leaving me one, and I was feeling like this was something that she certainly must have been prepared for, and that prospect was starting to get to me a bit more as time was passing.

"She left me with something. I guess that I might as well see what it was." I said, and then when I had finished showing Dakota and Ashley the letter that she had left with me, I was starting to open it up. "I don't quite know what I want to see in here. I feel like the fact that she was preparing for something makes me a bit more scared to look into this. I mean, I have a life to live for, and looking into this might give me the same fate as her. I might take the stuff we found here, and give it to the police. And then be done with it. I can't imagine doing any more than this right now." I said, and I did not even care what I was sounding like here. I felt like this was the best that I can do. I mean, despite the situation with Riley, I had a chance to have a life, and this box was the best that I could be doing here.

"I mean, yeah, this whole thing is quite a bit, and I think that you are really getting yourself too deep into this. But you should still read this at least." Dakota said, and then I opened it up, ready to start reading it.

"Sheldon, I don't know if you understand the full weight of what is going on here, or if you are not old enough to care, but there is something going on here. There is so much more to this town than I think anybody could have ever thought. I think that there is actually some truth to that story you were telling me earlier. I mean, I am very sorry for saying you were stupid for making that story, but now that I know the truth, and I see what is going on, I am scared to admit that there could be something happening here. The story about the grinder, about the labyrinth, and the missing people, it is all starting to come together and make some sense that I would never want to wish to admit.

I leave you this box, that way if you ever feel like you are old enough and strong enough to get ready to look for me, you can have something to start you off with. I have a feeling you will be a good guy and eventually start to look for the truth. That is the only reason that I feel like there is some hope to somebody figuring out the truth to this place. This messed up place that I never thought that I would have to settle into.

And if you feel like you will never find this, and somebody else does, then maybe they can look, or if you decide to take this to the police, I hope that for once there is some evidence in here. And I also got a weapon to place in this box for you to be using in case you were to go on and do something. That way you can be able to defend yourself somehow.

I mean, I know that you and I have never really gotten along too well, but I also never thought that you weren't able to be trusted. And that is why I trust you at this time. Even if it is too late to do something for me, I know that you and your friends do a lot of stuff and that you would probably find this and do something about it sooner or later anyways.

Besides, in case nothing happens to me, and I am fine, or at least fine until I turn eighteen and can leave, then you can still hopefully find this eventually and you can be able to know what to do with it then. Maybe once you see this, and you are old enough to understand the gravity of this, then you will be able to find out what to do then. But for both of our sakes, I hope that this can be put off for as long as possible. From Riley." The note said, and then after there was some noise being made, I was getting up, and I was still holding the knife.

"Dakota, keep the picture book, and Ashley take the box, I will be seeing if there is something down there that I need to look at." I said, and I was feeling like I was a badass for saying that, and in a way, I was feeling like this was going to be my first time to be trying to do something right. I was opening up the door to the outside, and I was taking a long and deep breath, feeling like when I would go down, everything would make sense. Everything could be coming together just fine.

I was then going down the ladder, and the further that I was going down, I was seeing that there was somebody with a fully loaded gun waiting for me. Not only that, but there was a silencer on it, as if to be prepared for what they were supposed to be doing to me. I felt like if they were actually going to try and kill me, then I would have no way of being able to defend myself. And then I was thinking about Dakota and Ashley, and not they also would have nothing to support them in case something happened to me as well. I knew that this was going to be a long road ahead, but that I needed to be ready for it.

Dakota and Ashley had gotten down to the ground as well. I was holding the knife as tightly as possible. The man who was looking right at us was almost looking like he had felt bad. For the fact that he was going to have to kill three innocent kids because of the fact that there was a job that had told him to do so. "It really is a shame. I mean, you are so young, and you had a real future ahead of you. But I guess that when push comes to shove, people just do not know when to stay out of other peoples business. They feel like they have to know the big answer to everything going on. I feel a bit like you are just unable to understand the fact that this should have just been left alone." The man said, and then I was shaking my head, pissed at the way he was talking about my fucking sister.

"Listen, when it comes to my family, and I know that something could be done to make sure it does not happen again, you sure as hell can bet that I am not going to just let this stuff go. I am going to try and do what is right for my family." I said, and then the other guy was looking like he was able to almost respect me for such a thing.

"I mean, you are young, and still are a man or morals, and I can respect that a bit more than I thought that I was going to. I will give you that. But you can't disturb our business, because if you do, then we will have to be sent all the way back, and when that happens, we start to lose what we have, and that is never fun." The guy was saying, and then after he had said that to me, I was just sort of trying to keep cool. But this man was making it hard to do that.

"What did you do to my fucking sister?" I asked, ready to snap, and ready to fucking strangle this man. I was not in the mood for people to be playing games with me, and I was not in the mood for him to be pretending like I was a baby who did not know what was considered to be a fucked up situation. I knew a fucked up situation was when you had your family totally thrown away.

I was then seeing the guy shake his head, and then he was thinking about something else that he could be able to say to sort of get me to feel less awful about what was happening. "If it makes you feel better, I had nothing to do with your sister going missing. She was unrelated to me in every regard possible. I fucking have no clue where she is right now. I was just told that you were digging your nose too deep, and that I had to get rid of you too. And your friends. But if for nothing else, and if it makes you feel even more better, you can know that nothing will happen to your parents yet, because they are off doing their own thing, and can't really focus on what is happening with you." He said, and then he was smiling, like this was really fucking funny at least

"Why are you doing this? I'm just a kid. I want my sister back. I want everything to go back to normal. I want to be a normal kid." I said, and then I was starting to feel the tears coming down my face. I was having too much, and this guy was not really able to understand how I had felt.

"I think we all wish that this whole thing never happened. But you can't really change what is going on in life. You are only forced to go and do what you can to make sure that everything will be alright." He said, and then he was looking like he was just kind of tired with this, and wanted to be done debating this stuff with me.

"But now that we have discussed this in depth, I think we both know the way this is going to end. So for all of our sakes, we might as well just get this over with." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was truly feeling bad for what he was going to do. "You are the hardest target that I have ever taken down, because of how I don't want to do it."

I was holding the knife, and I was taking it out of my sheathe. Dakota and Ashley ran to behind the trees, because they knew that this was going to be the only way that they had a chance of living. It sucked that this was the case that I was in, but trust me, under the context of the moment, I did get why they were acting like this, and I was not annoyed that they were doing this.

The guy fired a bullet, and it missed me because I ran off in time, and the tree was hit, leaving a hole there, and then I ran to the side, where he punched me right in the chest when I got close to him. Then I was off the ground for a second, and then I fell down to the ground for a moment, groaning in pain, feeling like I was just needing to get a breath of fresh air.

I was in so much pain after he had done that, and I was totally not ready for that. I was thinking that maybe I needed to find a different way through this. I saw the knife on the ground, and I picked it up, and as I grabbed it, I was seeing the guy fire his gun again, lightly grazing my shoe and probably leaving a cut on the side of my foot after this. I dropped the knife again, but not before I head butted him right in the chest and made him stumble back, and he was dropping his gun after that as a result, I grabbed the knife, and then I was holding it.

I then swung the knife with both hands at his body, and it hit the left arm, leaving a large cut right under his shirt where I was seeing some blood coming out. Then he was picking up his gun again, and I squatted down just in time as the bullet flew away several feet in the distance, and was out of my sight before I knew it. Then he punched me right in the face, and did it again when I screamed in pain, and then I was grabbing my face when he was done with that.

I was then getting over it because I knew that I was on the verge of death, and I was losing blood from that side wound on my foot. Then I kicked him right in the balls, which was pushing him down to the ground, and after he fell down to the ground, I stabbed him right on the side of the chest, which I was feeling like was going to possibly kill him soon enough. And that this was going to be what I needed if I wanted to have a chance to win this battle. A moment of him bleeding and getting weaker as a result of what I had done.

As I was getting over it, and I was feeling like this was going to be coming together now, the man was finally looking as if he was ready to finally kill me. That this was something he was going easy on me with. So he picked me up, and then hew literally threw me against the tree, and I was about ready to accept the fact that maybe some parts of my body were going to be broken after that. Which was not going to be fun at all.

I was then standing up, as he was getting towards me, and then he punched me again and again in the chest as I was finally feeling like I was ready to get up. Then I was seeing the gun on the ground, and I knew that this was the only way that I was going to get the chance to live. So when I was finally coming to that conclusion, I was starting to drag my way across the ground, aware that this was what I had to do. I needed to kill this man, and I needed the gun, since even with him stabbed and losing blood, he was still stronger than me.

I was then reaching the gun, feeling like I was finally ready to just kill this man with it, and I eventually lay myself on top of it, to make it look like I was not going towards that. When I eventually got it, and hid it under my shirt, he grabbed my leg and pulled me back several feet, ready to make me hurt again. The man then was pulling the knife out of his body, and he sliced the blade right on my leg, to try and get me in even more pain that he had already been able to accomplish.

I was feeling like I was on the verge of dying, and when looking back I probably was, and that it is a miracle I survived. Well, if Dakota and Ashley weren't there to take care of me afterwards, I almost certainly would have been dead, and that there was nothing that I could have been able to do about it. Then I was seeing him coming closer to me, and this was when I knew that I really had no time and no choice but to just fire the gun, and get it over with. He needed to be dead, and that was all that there was to it.

I fired the gun right at his chest, and when that happened, I saw the bullet hole clean there, and him starting to bleed. Then he fell down to the ground, and despite my anger towards him, I wanted to see how he was doing. So I was coming right towards him, and I was ready to talk with him for a moment, and see if I could possibly be able to bring him back that way.

"What are you guys trying to do?" I asked, and the man was looking up at me. He was holding his body a bit, as if thinking about the fact that the gig was over in a way. He was almost looking sad over the fact. Like he was wanting to do a couple of more jobs, and not die so fucking early. But then he was taking the time to actually answer the question that I had asked him, as if thinking that I did deserve this at the very least.

"I was not trying to do anything. I was just simply taking orders. I mean, I did not even know who you were. I did not even know that you were that girls brother. If I had known at the start, I might have given you some time to escape. I mean, killing kids is something that I never wanted to do, and it is the one thing that I feel really awful for trying to do on some situations. And I think that if the lord does not ever forgive me for it, then I should accept that." He said, and I was feeling like I needed to understand what this man was meaning with the lord.

"How could you claim to believe in god when you talk about this stuff? When you go around and kill children? How is believing in god even a remote possibility for you?" I asked, and the man was looking like I had asked an actually valid question. One he had felt like he needed to be real with me on, since it was so big on his life, and it was the one thing that kept him forward.

"Because I honestly thought that if I worked hard enough, I could be able to make him proud. I had been raised to believe in him my entire life. I thought that he was the only thing that could give me truth. It turns out that the only thing that can give me truth is the death that I face now." The man said, and despite what was going on, and despite my fear of this answer, due to my religious upbringing, I felt like I had to know.

"What do you believe if you think that you do not see him?" I asked him, and he was looking at me, and the way that he looked at me showed that this was the saddest truth he would have ever faced. The one singular truth that he thought he would never have to face, but now that he was dead, and nobody could escape death, it was the truth that he would not only see, but the truth that he could not escape. But I was not wanting to accept whatever he would tell me, since my young brain was saying that he was a special case for what had happened, and that he was deserving of what he had gotten.

"It is that god is not there to be with me. He has either abandoned me, or he is not real. I don't know which one is worse, but both bring me grief. Both make me wonder where did I go wrong, to create this happening." He said, and then after he had said that, he was looking at me, and was shaking his head violently. As if he was refusing to believe what he had just said to me. Almost like this was the one thing that was too much on his mind to handle.

"I don't want to believe that he is not there with us. But I never once thought that I was a terrible person. A person who should have never done what he did, sure, but not a bad one. I was doing what I felt like I needed to my whole life. And when I see empty voids, black, I fear more and more what I have done. I fear more and more what this world will eventually come to. I hope that when you die, you will see a light. You will see something. Because if you do not, then I will feel like the world truly has come to an end." He was telling me, and he was holding his hand to my left arm. I was in pain, and I was also losing myself too, but I was feeling like he needed to have a man at my side here.

"Are you sure that there is nothing? I don't want to believe in something that is not there for me? Tell me, is there something?" I was feeling something coming down on me. I was ten years old, and I was hearing from an adult, even if he was a bad one, that there was nothing to prove the one thing that I had been told since I was just a child that was real. I felt like this was a sick joke, and it was one that I did not want to hear from anybody.

"If I had saw something, anything to give me a answer, to give me peace, and give you some mind, I would have told you the truth. I would have told you it was there. I would have never lied to anyone who truly believed in what he was told as a child. You seem like a good kid, no matter what has happened here, and I do not want you to follow down a path of pain because of what is going on here." He said, and then he was shaking his head at this fact, at the fact he was getting to know me better in death than in life.

"Just try to be a good kid. That is all that I want from you. To sort of give anybody the hope that it will not be getting any worse. To give somebody the hope that there is light at the end of this tunnel. It is what I want from you. It is what I need from you. It is the only thing that gives me hope. Good luck young man." He said, and then he closed his eyes, stopping breathing, and died.

I was looking right at Dakota and Ashley, trying to find the words to say that would make me feel better. Neither one of them seemed to really know what they were supposed to tell me. Almost as if they were scared of what I would say. "We need to get you to the hospital. That is the most important thing." Ashley said, thinking that she could possibly be able to just stick to that, and that as she would get to that point, I would feel like I was going to not be angry at them.

I was getting to the two of them, picking up the knife, and the gun, and put both in the box, and started to head away. With the box, and the picture book, either we would have a start on where to look, or we would give it to the police where we would be able to have something to look forward to now.

"Thanks for being here for me while this is happening." I said, and then after I had said that, both Dakota and Ashley seemed to be at my side. They seemed to totally understand what I was feeling. As we were walking along, I was seeing the snow start to fall. I had almost forgotten that it was Christmas Eve. Only three days after Riley went missing, three days after my birthday, and one day before what was supposed to be the best day of the year. Where my parents said that they would give me presents that day, but since they were providing for my birthday and Christmas, I always got twice the amount anybody should on just one.

But I did not want anything. I wanted to have Riley back. I wanted to be normal. I wanted to have a life that was not fucked up, and a life that was actually going to feel like it would be fine. I was just wanting to have something that could bring me some feeling of comfort.

The closest thing to that would be the two people at my side. "I am going to need a long break after this." I said, trying to sound funny when I was saying this, not truly thinking about the pain that I was in. And as I was thinking that, I was wondering what Dakota and Ashley would do when we came home, and when they would take me to the hospital. What they would do for Christmas. I felt like I needed to know their plans to make me feel like I could pretend to be on the fun at the few moments we had.

It was New Years eve, and things had started to settle down. After ten days of Riley being missing, even I was starting to accept the fact that she was probably just never coming back. Or at least not anytime soon. And as I was growing to accept that fact more and more, I was slowly starting to try and grow on and have a normal life with my friends. I felt like doing this was going to be the only way that I would be bale to pretend like I was ready for what was going on around me.

I was heading on to where Dakota lived, feeling like if I would be there, then everything would be fine. We would be able to talk a bit more, and we would be able to start to put this whole thing to some level of normalcy. But before I was at the house before I even left, I spent one final time looking at the box that Riley placed in there. Every single time that I looked in there, I felt like I needed to at least try and see what I could do to make a difference. I felt like I had to at least try and see if I was going to be able to find out what the hell was going on with my sister. But I knew that in the end, if I were to try and look, the only thing that I would get was even more confusion.

I wanted to bring it to the police, but in all honesty I did not trust them. I felt like they were just going to take what I had in here, and then just throw it away, because they simply would have found a way to consider it to be non conclusive enough. I just knew that they did not really care, and that if I wasted my breath on it, they would not listen.

I mean, I was literally sent to the hospital over this, and I had been forced to pretty much give up a large part of my regular life just to be getting through with this. I felt like when I was here, and I was sitting down, acting like the case was going to be fine, I was feeling like I was just going to be going insane. I did not want to deal with it anymore. But it felt like nobody cared beyond what was going on for their own investment.

I think that was another reason I eventually caved in and decided that I would hang out with Dakota and Ashley more often. I just knew deep down the authorities did not care. Deep down I knew that she was as good as dead, and that I needed to just accept it and get over it. But I still had a chance to try and live a regular life, and it was something that I had to try. Or at least pretend like I was trying.

Eventually, I knocked at the door, and I was seeing Dakota answering it. He had looked at me, and he was seeing that I was still having some trouble walking due to what was going on, but for the most part it was looking like I had been fine. "I got to admit, you recovered much faster than I thought that you would have." After Dakota had told me this, he was looking like he was wanting to find something else to say, but felt like it was fine to leave it at that.

"I want to try and find a way to have some fun. If that is something that can even be done." I said, and Dakota looked like he was not sure if he was ready for such a thing to be said by me. Almost like he was afraid that I was rushing something like this. But I did not really want to hear something like this. I was ready to be doing everything possible. "Do you think that Ashley would be ready to hang out yet? Considering the fact that she is still sort of getting over what is all going on around here." I was trying to sound like a caring friend, but I did not know how well something like this was going to work.

"I think that she would be willing to make time for you. I would never doubt how much she just wants to make sure that you are happy as well." Dakota said, and I was seeing him looking like he had genuinely meant what he had said. I decided that perhaps I was going to have to take what he was saying to heart. I mean, there was no way that something could possibly happen that would truly separate her from me and stuff. At least, I did not believe something like this could be the case.

"Well, I guess that we might as well just go to her house, and see how she is doing. I just hope that her parents are going to be as forgiving as you and her have been on this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing Dakota looking like I was too worried about something that realistically, I could do nothing about. I mean, I could do nothing about Riley going missing, and I needed to not be acting like I had any authority on this.

"I wouldn't be worried about it. I know Ashley long enough to know that she would never really hold too much of a grudge over you for a long period of time." As Dakota said that, I wanted to believe in him, and I was thinking that he would not deliberately lie to me. But at the same time, even at my young age, I was scared, and I was fearing something else could come along and change that. But I did not think of it too much as I was hating on right towards Ashley's place with Dakota at my side.

Once I knocked on at her door and waiting for several seconds, that was when I was seeing Ashley looking right at us. I was seeing that she was just sort of wanting to hug me really tightly. Like seeing me here was one of the best things in the world, but she also did not want to risk hurting me any time soon. "Are you going to be looking into what is happening with Riley again?" She asked, and she was looking like she did not really want to hear much of it. But she was also looking like she was wanting to help in any way she could, if she was forced to do something like this. As I was seeing her looking like she was ready for whatever was to come, I shook my head.

"I don't plan to look for her quite yet. I am thinking that I am going to let things sort of be decided as it goes. I mean, I want her to be back and stuff, but I do not want to rush things that I am clearly not ready for." I said, and I was referring to the fact that I literally almost died from this whole thing, and that I did not have any chance to really fight if worse came to worse.

"What were you wanting to do if you were just not wanting to look for Riley?" Ashley said, almost wanting to believe that what she was telling me was the truth, but at the same time, she was clearly just perplexed at this whole thing. "I mean, I don't want to spoil this for you but the thing is that you don't really seem to be the guy who would socialize normally."

"Well, maybe I should be trying. I mean, there are supposed to be some celebrations going on to celebrate the new year with school and stuff. I don't know, maybe we can try to do something like this. It might be able to help me get into normal social life after that." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was wondering if they were really going to want to do something like this. If they really wanted to go out and party at the town. Or if they were just going to do it because I was saying we should, for my own sake.

As a few seconds passed, and they were deeper in thought, Dakota looked happier to see me like this. He nodded, and then he was placing his hand on my shoulder. "If you want to go out and try to do something like this, then I will be at your side. I do not want anything to cause you to stop a chance of having some fun here." He said, and after he said that, even Ashley was looking like she was getting more and more used to this here. Like she was growing to like the idea with Dakota at her side.

"Let's see what the school has to offer." I said, and I was looking at the town, finally realizing how much it had to offer to me when I was not so busy looking back with Riley, and looking back in the way that I was just too far gone. To see what I would be able to see if I went out just hard enough, and did not worry about the polices job. I was walking down with my friends, and then I decided that I would continue to ask them questions, and see if they were going to help me with this. "Do you have any idea where anything is even going to be this year?"

"I heard at our school is one. I mean, I know you brought up something with our class, but you did not mention the location." Dakota said, and then I sighed, thinking about how obvious that was, and how I was so stupid not to notice the fact that this would have been the answer. But with that, I decided to just focus on the moment again.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the school, and when we had been there, I was looking around, seeing about thirty or our classmates that I had seen from earlier this year. Some of them were looking like they were here with friends, while some were alone, and others looked like they were being forced here by their parents, and hated the very idea of being here.

"Let's go and meet with them. See what they might be up to." I said, ready to just get right to the fun part of the night. I was walking to one guy who seemed to have regular old black hair, and had seemed to be one of the more popular kids from what I remembered. A person who seemed to be generally liked, but was a bit self centered.

"Hey Harold." Ashley spoke for the first time in several minutes as she was getting closer to him. I was wondering if they had gotten along well or something before, and this was able to create a bond between the two of them that I did not know of. I mean, if that was the case, then I could just leech off of her, and then act like I knew what I was talking about. "This is our friend Sheldon. Recently he has gone through a rough patch, and this is him trying to go out and exercise a way of having some fun again." Ashley made it seem simple enough. Harold held out his hand and awkwardly shook it, as if unsure of if he wanted to or not. I would later learn his full name was Harold Wilson, and he was the closest thing to a person who Nicole would actually like here. Which would make me jealous of him a bit, but I decided not to say anything.

"I am very sorry for what you are dealing with right now. I am assuming it is somebody in your family going missing. That town has stuff like this happen all the time." The man was telling me, and he was looking like he just wanted to see what I could be saying to him right now. If there was anything that I would even feel the motivation to say at that moment. "But it will be fine. The police are just having a lot of cases to take care of. Sooner or later, they will get to yours, and then everything will be good."

The worst part about what he was saying was the fact that looking at him, seeing the way he was speaking to me, I could clearly tell that he was truly believing in what he was telling me. He was thinking that there was no possible way that anybody was going to not be doing their job here. Given the fact that this was happening so much now, they just had to be working harder.

I did not want to respond to his statement, so I was looking down, there was something that I was wanting to try and tell him. "I feel like I just need to be patient. That is what my father has always been telling me. Telling me that I just needed to wait, and the issue would resolve itself." I said, just unsure of what I was wanting to say then. I was thinking that I would just leave it be there. "Anyways, what are you doing here right now? Is there anything going on that is super exciting?" I asked, trying to sound like I was going to be legit, but I was feeling like I was going to fail on that.

"I was told to come here and hang out with some people here. My parents always think that I have spent too much time at my place. I guess that they might be fully be wrong. But it is none of their business what I do with my own time." He was saying, and then he looked at me, as if wondering what I was going to try and say now.

"Do you just not like being in big crowds or something?" I asked, and then he was looking down, as if thinking that there was nothing too interesting to say here. Then he was looking around the room, and I was feeling like maybe this was his way of nicely telling me that he was sort of wanting to end this conversation. I mean, even I was able to kind of pick up on it. But I was just feeling like I wanted to see him a bit longer. See if he was a chill guy after all. "I mean, I never liked going to big crowds before when I was at my first house. But after moving here, I have been getting better at it. I want to try and make a clean slate at this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was deep down aware of how impossible something like this would be, but I just had to try.

"It has been kind of hard to be trying to talk to people, but I have been getting better at it lately because of my parents being able to decide to help me and stuff. In all honesty, it is just something that I never really felt the need to do. I felt like the whole idea was just a bit pointless." He said, and then he was looking like he was just greatly curious what I would say now.

"Well, your parents would be proud to be going on and seeing you do something here right now. They would think that you are finally making them proud." I said, and then even I was starting to feel like I had gone on long enough with this, and that we had sort of proved our points now. And that with this, we just just go along and head home. or head along to doing things that I knew that we would both enjoy much more.

"I guess that you might be right. But am I really so worried about making them proud? I am not so sure anymore. In a way, I almost don't really care all that much. I just think that they are trying too hard to get me to be a perfect kid, when in all honesty, I don't need to be done." Harold said, as if just unsure of what I was going to be thinking of his statements. I did not really believe that what he was saying was all that big of a deal. I just figured that he was rebelling in his own way.

"What would be the worst out of going the extra mile to see that your parents will be proud of you? I mean, I don't really see anything wrong with it. They are just probably wanting to see what you can accomplish in life." As I had said that, I was just not really too sure what he was going to say to this. He would probably reject what I was saying, and act like I was just unable to get it, which in a way, I suppose I was.

"Because I doubt that they really care about anything beyond their own reputation. If they really cared what I had thought, they would not force anything onto me now. I just don't really think this is something that they want to see for my own benefit. They are probably just in it for themselves, and that is the thing that is making me annoyed." After Harold told me that, I was thinking that this was probably all that we needed to discuss. Dakota placed his hands on my shoulders, as if wanting to get my attention again.

"I think that we should be heading along now. You know, not to waste any time here and stuff. I want to see what these places have to offer." Dakota said to me, and I was seeing him looking like this was something that had excited him more and more as time was passing, and that he was clearly just wanting to see if he could make things work. Even Ashley was looking like she was wanting to see what things were going to be now.

As we had been heading along, that was when I was seeing Ashley and Dakota looking around, and seeing that the people that were around us seemed to be having the time of their life. I did not know how they were able to have such a good time here, but I was telling myself that maybe I should be listening to their advances and stuff. Harold was standing back a bit for several seconds, and I was seeing that he was unsure of if he was wanting to come to us, or if I was just truing to be nice, and that he did not really want to take the risk of looking like a dumb ass.

I was feeling like maybe I needed to give it a go, and see what they were going to be like. "You can come along if you would like?" I suggested to him, as he was looking down, almost too scared to do this. But then after a moment of thinking about it, and him seeing that I was not totally full of shit, he was thinking that he might as well just see how something like this could go.

So with that, Harold was coming up right behind us, and the entire time he was doing this, I was seeing him starting to take a lighter tone on this, and he was clearly looking like he was almost not even scared anymore. This was exactly what I had wanted him to feel, and it was the best thing to know that I was able to accomplish something here.

As we had been walking along, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to find some things to talk about, things that could make him come off as more interesting. Things that were going to make us feel like we did a good choice by bringing him along. We eventually reached a stand, where one of the people behind there was having one of those throw the ring and see if it lands somewhere, and get a prize that way. "Come one, come all. We want to see if you can win our very special game of ring throwing. If you win, you get a very special prize. If you lose, nothing to worry about. It is a very hard game indeed, and you should never be angry with yourself. Coming here and having fun is the main point of this game after all." He was saying, and he was looking like he was tired of reciting this line, but was happy to see some people here. "First throw for everybody is always free. Plus ten cents every other throw after that." It was when he had said that I figured I might as well do one throw, and see how my luck was going to be, to see if this was destined to work for me.

I was looking at Harold, Dakota and Ashley. They all seemed to think the same thing, and that the worst that would come is that they would lose a game that in all honesty was really hard from the very few movies I saw. Trust me, I am not much of a movie guy. I think I only see like two or three a year. But every time one of these showed up, I knew there was no chance of winning.

Ashley decided that she would go first. As she was doing this, she took a long and deep breath. Then after a moment of planning, or at least just taking it easily, she threw the fucking ring. It almost hit one of the lines, but just fell down to the ground. She was looking somewhat annoyed, but figured that as long as we would lose, she would not mind too much.

After she failed, Dakota decided that he would give it a go. He did not feel like it would matter as much, so he was just taking a second to decide which prize he wanted. Then after he had done that, he threw the ring, and then it just did not even come close. At least with Ashley, she seemed to be relatively close. Dakota could not even say that about what he was doing. Then with that, he looked at Harold, who seemed to be the more excited out of the two of us to try.

Then when he was done telling himself how important it was that he could win, he decided that he would give this a go. Then with that, he threw the ring, and the ring hit the line, but then bounced off, and fell down as well. Then with that, I realized that it was my turn. I did not want to do this because I felt like it would suck. But then I figured that the others tried, and I had to try as well. So with that, I figured that I would give it a go.

I grabbed the ring, shook my head, and rolled my eyes. I knew that I was going to lose, so there was no point in even trying. But before I could let myself down on this any further, I threw the ring, and I was seeing the ring slowly land on one of the lines, and I was starting to feel interested now. The ring spun for a second, and then went down and hit the wall. I was shocked to see that I had actually won one of these, and then the man who was behind the counter grabbed the item for me.

"You are our fourth winner this year. I hope that you are proud of yourself." He said, and then he handed me the ring, and he was looking like he was wanting to see what my reaction was going to be. As if the way that I would react was just going to be perfect. I was excited to win the throw, but I did not think for a second, that I was going to. The whole thing just felt very strange, and I was wondering what I was going to say to my friends who had failed.

I grabbed the prize, and I was seeing that it was a small box. I did not know what was going to be in it, but as we were walking along, the other three were urging me to open it. I was feeling like there was no reason to let them down. "Hey Sheldon, I had no idea that you were going to pull it off." Dakota said, and he was actually sounding pretty excited now. Almost like he was thinking that maybe coming here was the right choice after all.

"Yeah, to be honest, I thought that I was just going to be as toast as you were. But I guess that maybe I had some talent for throwing rings." I said, and I was trying to sound funny, but at the same time, I was just trying to figure out what to be feeling here. I opened up the box, and I was seeing that what was inside was something like a snow globe. I did not really know what to think about it, but I flipped it over, to see if there was something in here that I could use for my own right. As I was seeing a small latch at the bottom, I opened it and saw a small note.

"This snow globe will grant you one single wish. All you do is you break the globe after you make a wish, and it will come to you." The snow globe said, and then I showed them the note, and we were all agreeing it was just silly nonsense. So I placed it in my hoodie pocket, and I was just thinking that I would 'use' it later if there was ever a point to.

With that, I had felt like like was going along just fine. We walked along for a bit longer and then Ashley said "Yeah you were really in the right mind set when you told us to come here. I feel bad for thinking that this was a terrible idea." Once she had said that, we spent the next few hours just playing around, and in general having fun. For a few hours, I forgot about Riley. I forgot about how messed up my life was. But that was just going to come to an end soon, as the event was closing down.

As we were heading home, we had gotten close to my house, and for once, i was feeling like a man who actually had some fun around this town. I forgot what it was like have fun with some friends, and maybe even make a new one, only ten days after my sister went missing. It was only when I was back home when everything was coming right back to me. "Hey guys, thanks for listening to my idea of coming here. It means a whole lot to me knowing that you guys were there for me when I needed it the most." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was wondering what they were even going to want to tell me. If there was any need for real words. "I mean, I never thought that I would enjoy going to a school event. Who knew such a thing was even possible." I laughed at that, wondering what else I would enjoy soon.

"Well, we are glad that you are able to go out and have fun every once in a while. It makes me feel better knowing that you can after that." After Ashley had said this, I was about ready to head inside of the house. As we were about ready to leave, and Harold was realizing how far away from home he was, he was thinking that he really needed to worry about that first.

But before anything can happen, there was a black car who was parking a few feet away from us. As I was seeing this car, I did not know why, but I was feeling utter dread coming to my mind. I had felt like this was going to be the one thing that would get me killed if I was not careful enough about what I was doing.

I opened the door, and I was hoping that perhaps they would take the cue. The man was coming out of his car, and he was wearing a full suit of black. When Dakota and Ashley saw this, they started to get a bit scared too, knowing what was going on, and that was when Harold was looking like he did not quite get what was freaking us out. I mean, how could he, when he had barely known who we even were, and I was thinking that this would ruin any chances of us being friends.

Both Ashley and Dakota were getting to my door, and this was when I was seeing Harold looking like he might as well follow our cue. Not quite getting it, but aware that if we were acting like this over one simple man, then something must be going on here, and that he better listen to us for once in his life.

Once inside of the house, I slammed the door shut, and then I was standing in front of it. I was looking at Harold and I was shaking my head. "Trust me, you do not want to know what we have been going through. I thought that perhaps we would be able to put this behind us." I said, and then Harold was looking like this was a bit much for him to handle, and he was holding his hands out.

"Okay, this is insane. I mean, I was hanging out with you guys one minute, and the the next minute, you guys are acting like you are going to fucking die. Don't you guys see how insane this whole thing must be looking to me right now? I mean, I thought that you guys were just some of my classmates, and that was it." Harold was placing his hands on his face, and I was feeling bad for him, but this was really not the time to be freaking the fuck out right now. The guy was knocking on our door, and I was looking back. I was seeing that he was looking like he just wanted to do this the easy way. How nice of him to want to kill us easily? I was seeing him having his left hand in his pocket.

"I know that you are quite afraid of me and my partners. But we were wishing that perhaps we could be able to talk peacefully for a bit." The man was saying, and I was looking at Dakota for a bit. He was aware of where my home phone was, and figured that both of us could be able to put that to some use. That if this man was really here for that, then we needed to be ready for it.

"I am not interested right now. I have some friends over, and I would rather be hanging out with them instead." I said, trying to make it sound like this was just a regular old business. But as I was saying that, I was walking to my room, feeling like I needed to just get that knife that Riley had given me a week ago, and that I could just use this for my own benefit at the moment. I did not think that it was going to be all that big of a deal if I would leave Harold, Ashley and Dakota alone for a bit. As this was happening, I was hearing Dakota placing in the call.

"Hey, there is somebody at my friends place, and they are trying to break into the house. We are worried that they have a gun with them." Dakota was saying everything that he felt was important. After he had finished saying that to that officer, there was a moment of silence and Dakota was taking a bunch of long and heavy breaths. "Five minutes? You promise to be here in five minutes?" Dakota asked, and then he slowly nodded, as if thinking that this was the best that we could get. "Thank you very much, and we will be holding back until then."

After he had said that, he had hung up the phone as I was grabbing the knife. Then with that, I was walking down to the door, and I was thinking that maybe if he tried to open, then I could just stab him that way, and then make him weak enough for us to be safe for a little while longer for the police to come along and take care of the matter for us.

Eventually, he was opening up the door a little bit at a time. "You really should learn when to lock your door. Not doing that is going to increase your chances of having a break in." The guy said, and then after he was getting inside, I stabbed him right in the chest as fast as I could. It was the only thing that I could do. It was the only way that I felt like I would be able to have any chance in order to not die when I was confronting a guy who was much stronger than me, and was able to fucking make my life miserable forever. I just did not want to take any risks here.

As he was falling back, he was holding his gun forward, and he fired it, but Harold and Ashley had enough time to get out of the way, and then the bullet hit the wall. As he fell down to the ground, and he was looking at me, I was seeing him looking like he was almost impressed. "I have to admit young man, I did not actually expect you to hold up to doing something like this. I thought that you were just going to scream and cry as I would shoot you." After he said that, he nodded his approval, thinking that perhaps this was going to be what I needed to hear now.

As that was happening, I was seeing the police car coming along, and one of the officers came out, and saw the guy bleeding on the front of our house. "Take him. After he gets medical treatment, we have to throw him in prison." One of the officers said simply to the other one, who was grabbing the gun, and putting in a evidence bag. Then he picked up that man and dragged him to the back of the car. Then the man who gave the orders looked at us. "We hope that he will be able to give us what the truth behind his intentions are. Might get a shorter sentence for corporation. As for you, tell me everything that happened?"

As he was telling me this, I nodded, aware of how this stuff was meant to be run. We went right to my room since I said I would like to talk there. Harold, Ashley and Dakota where there as well. "I will drive them home after this. But please, don't leave out any details. That way we can know where to start looking." After he said that, I nodded, knowing there was no point in fighting this right now, since he was the one protecting me.

"Well, as you may know, my sister Riley went missing a little over a week ago. That was something that I was truly just not ready for. I mean, she was too innocent for something like this to happen. But I guess that I am just going off topic. The point is that she went missing several days ago, and I had started to try and find her. I thought that, and please don't get angry at me for saying this, that maybe you guys would not really care enough to go all out on the search. I thought that you would just sort of be doing it just to have us get off your back." I said, and then after I had said that to the officer, I saw him looking kind of mad that I had told him this, but deep down, even he knew that there was some legitimacy to what I was saying here.

"The point is, that I kept looking, and eventually I found this in a tree house that my friends and I hung out at a couple of times. If you want me to show you, I can bring it out." I said, and I was hoping deep down he would say no, but I knew that something like this was just not going to be the case.

"Yes, show me what you had found in there. This is very important for our case right now." The officer said, and he was sounding like he was actually kind of interested to know what I would let him see. But at the same time, I was just unsure of if he was actually meaning it, or if he was just doing it for the job. That idea was always going to get to me, no matter how much I tried to pretend like it was not all that big of a deal.

I went to the box under my bed, and I started to pull it out. As I pulled the box out, I was opening it up. Then I handed it to him. "There was somebody who attacked me, and I was forced to fight him. I barely escaped with my life, and that was about a week ago. I took his gun, and that knife that I used to fight that one guy a moment ago, and put it with this information. I wanted to give you this stuff earlier, but I had simply forgotten it." I said, and then the guy was slowly nodding at me, trying to decide his over all opinion of this whole matter now.

"There was a picture book of places she was at and people she hung out with. I did not look into it much further than that, but if you want to look, be my guest. I won't stop you from getting the information you need for my own sister to be brought back home safely." I said, and I was thinking about how much it would suck if this turned out the way that I feared, but I was just trying my best to be nice with him.

"Thank you for this. We need everything we can get when it comes to finding your sister. I hope that she would understand that sometimes you have to make the hard choice. The choice where you simply can't do things your way." After he was telling me this, I was nodding, thinking that what he was saying made some sense, but I did not want to really admit that quite yet. In the hopes that maybe he would let me look with him.

"I think that the person who attacked me was aware of what I had done earlier. The fact that I fought that guy, and the fact that I have been looking for Riley. I think that maybe he was just trying to take me out, and make it so that I can't find a way to fight him any more. I think that there is something deeper going on here, and I hope that you can be able to be safe." I said, and then I was thinking about what I was doing by giving this information to the cops.

"How badly do you want yous sister to come back home? Would you want it badly enough to put your life at risk?" He asked, and I looked down, and I knew that I was going to hate answering this. But at the same time, I felt like I had to be real with him. I would not lie to him, no matter how much I felt like doing so was going to win me some favors in his eyes.

"I want her back really badly. But now that I have been forced to do this a couple of times, I do not know if I want her back enough to actually want to kill myself over something like this." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing the man looking right at me. He was looking like he appreciated how honest I was with him at least.

"I don't think that anybody would be upset about the fact that you say you wish to have a normal life. I think everybody would be able to understand. I think what you should do is try to live a regular life with your friends here. Let us take care of the search, and we will do our best to make sure that your sister returns safely. We just hope that you will be able to move forward from this tragedy. We really are doing our best to make sure that nothing goes any further than this." The police officer was telling me, and then after he was saying that, I felt like I just needed to know the truth more.

"When do you think that you will be able to look into this information a bit more?" I asked, and I was really needing to know. It was the most important thing for me to know what was going on, that way I could be able to be ready for when I would expect some fucking news and stuff. But the man was just looking down at the box, trying to think of something to say.

"I don't know when I will be able to begin actively searching. That being said, I will look at the evidence tonight, at least see if there is something that I can learn from here. I think that when I get a chance, I will dig deeper, but for the time being, I think that this is the best you are going to be able to ask for." He was saying, and I nodded slowly, as if thinking that I just needed to take it for what it was.

"Thanks for coming by and listening to my story. I hope that maybe we can get more information figured out here." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was nodding at me, as if thinking that maybe I deserved more than this. But that he was just willing to let me be in denial for a bit longer. Let me in the feeling that nothing possibly can go wrong. Then he placed his hand on my left shoulder, his attempt at trying to reach me. It was a half assed one, but it was better than I was thinking he was going to do.

"I will do whatever I can. Thanks for the information, and I hope that you will take our conversation to heart this time. I really do not want another kid in this family to go missing so soon after what had happened to you guys already. It would really hurt me to see that." With that, he was looking at the other members of the conversation, who remained silent the entire time to let me do the talking. He was looking like he had no idea what to do with them, but was willing to just find something to say.

"Let's go. Your parents are probably wondering where you guys are anyways." The man said, and then he was looking at me, and told me that it would be best for me to stay in touch. Then with that, he was heading out. I was then taking a long and deep breath. I closed my eyes and about fifteen minutes later, my parents had come home, with about an hour left of the year. I was sure as hell hoping that Fifty Seven was going to be a lot less eventful than this. I did not know if I could take this much longer in all honesty.

When they were seeing me, I was seeing my father looking like he was just feeling really bad for me and stuff. "Sorry that we could not be home any sooner. We were having a lot of stuff to take care of. I think you would understand. I hope that you understand." My father said, and after he was saying this, I was seeing him truly looking like he was willing to accept any rejection that I would give him, thinking that he might have deserved something like this.

"I am fine. I get it. I am just not really too sure what to be doing now." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing my mother looking like she was just wanting to go back to her room. That once the new year would be celebrated, she would go back inside, and she would just pretty much act like this was something she was not actually having to deal with. "Sorry that I have been making a big scene out of most things the last few days. I know that you guys need to have a break, but it is just hard for me to stay down when I know of what I can do to change things."

I did not think that what I was going to tell them would make them feel any different about what was happening. I just felt like I needed to try and say something to give me a small chance of being able to get through this without them being too angry with me. We were heading outside, and we were looking up towards the sky. As if starting to think about what we were going to have soon. Another fucking chance. This was something that I truly wanted and needed more than anything else.

"I am so sorry that you are forced to deal with this. I can't even imagine what it must be like for you to handle the stuff with Riley. I mean, I have barely talked with you about it. Is there something going on that is bothering you?" He asked, and then I was looking down, as if unsure of how I was supposed to possibly even say something like this. It was too much to be asking if I was bothered by this. I mean, he was my father, and he was asking me one of the most obvious questions on the planet.

"Yeah, it is really getting to me. I want to be home with her again, and I want to just act like this whole thing is not even happening. I want to go back to the normal days. But I guess that something like this might just not be able to happen." I said, and I was trying to find a way to sound like this was not me conceding defeat. It was, but I did not want it to feel that way since deep down I still had some fucking hope here.

"Don't worry about it too much. We will be here for you as much as we can be. I think that in a couple of months, one way or another, this whole thing will be solved. That is the main thing that I can tell myself to be feeling better. That soon enough, the answer will be here." He said, and he was clearly just saying this to feel better. And that he did not a single minute believe in that. But he was wanting to say something in order to make it look like it was not going to be getting to him now.

I was thinking about the new year ahead of us. "Do you have any hopes for the next year?" I asked, just trying to find a way to bring the conversation to something that I felt like he would be able to regularly discourse with me on. It was something that I also felt like we could be able to discuss without constantly going back to Riley, and how messed up that was. As awful as it was for me to admit, I did not want to talk about Riley all that much anymore.

"My hopes for the next year are to get a good promotion. Something that can help this family out. You know, that way we can be able to get something going. I just wish that life would not be so fucked right now. I mean, I just want to get a promotion, and I want to make sure that you guys can live peacefully. That is all that I could be able to ask for. And it is something that seems like will never really be able to fucking happen. As much as I hate to admit it." My father said, and then he was just feeling like what he was saying was going to be getting to him much more than he had wanted to admit.

"I guess that when you are into that type of job, it is the least that you can hope for." I said, and I was just trying to think hard of what it would be like to be a businessman on the level of my father. I did not really know if I wanted to think it, but it was something that I told myself that I just needed to try at least.

"Yeah, you seem to get it. I mean, I just don't want anything to be getting much worse. I feel like when I can focus on my job here, it is the best that I can do. It is the only thing that I can do to make it feel like I can make something work from the madness that is shown here. But I guess that you might not really understand. Not that I would want you to. I think that you should not bother going into my field." After he said that to me, I was shocked to hear him tell me not to pursue his line of work. I thought he would have tried to promote me to do it.

As this was happening, I was seeing the fire works in the distance. This was starting to bring up my mood again. I was seeing them going off one after another, and I was just seeing that my father was looking like this was his one moment of hope. "Happy new year." My mother said, and she was hugging me a bit. I felt like we were a complete family. Well, given the situation. I felt like this was the closest that we would ever get to fully being together, and that I needed to be taking in every moment.

I did not like the situation that I was in at all, but at the same time, I felt like maybe it was a chance to get something together. I felt like it was a chance to have the three of us come together in some way. This was the one thing that I was telling myself to sort of feel better for what was going on. Besides, I was thinking that there was just no way in hell this was going to be getting any fucking worse than it had been.

"I hope that this year is a lot better than last year." I said, and after that, I was feeling like it was time to go back inside, and be trying my best to make sure that I would make this happen. That I would be able to make this the best year of my life. My very short life that did not have many to compare to to be totally fucking fair.

But then I was thinking that as long as I was going to be with Dakota and Ashley, and maybe even get something of a friendship going with Harold, or maybe ask Nicole out, I was feeling like this whole thing would go from fucking impossible down to just very hard to accomplish. But I was feeling like it was something that could work if we worked hard enough on it. I was thinking that school was going to be the one fucking thing that can keep me safe. The one fucking thing that can make me feel like I was not going to fucking snap.

We stayed outside for another two minutes or so before we were all heading different ways. I was heading to bed, getting in one final sleep before I would really consider it to be the new year. My mom was going to her room where I felt like she would continue her grieving over Riley. My father was going to his study where he could continue his work. I did not know it at the time, but this was one of the last times I felt like we were truly a fucking family.

It was a while later, January tenth, and we had been back at school for a few days. I did not ever think for a minute of my life that I would be glad to be back at school. I mean, it was less awful than being stuck at the house, every every hour of every day I was being forced to remember that I did not find Riley, and that I did not do what I was supposed to. I did not find the sister who needed her brother more than anything in the world. I was pissed at this, and I hated myself for it. I straight up fucking hated myself, and there was no way to put it lightly. I felt like a monster, and I felt like I needed to try and find a way to punish myself for what I had done here. But in a way, I was also telling myself that it was also not my fault.

As I was telling myself this, I was almost starting to believe such a story. I was almost starting to think that there was nothing that I could have done about it. I was about to start heading home that friday, just to act like this was not anything that got to me too much, when I was hearing Nicole calling out to me. I turned around to her, and saw her looking genuinely depressed over this.

"Sheldon, I am so sorry for everything that you are dealing with. Would you like to talk about it?" She asked me, and I was looking down. I did not think that there was any way that I could be able to properly talk about it without making it sound like I was being a fucking baby. I was then looking at the fucking distance, thinking about what had just happened. I was thinking that perhaps I needed to have a shoulder to cry on in a metaphorical speaking.

"I don't know if anybody would truly be able to understand how I feel. I should have been there for her. I wanted to be there for her. But then I failed. I failed in every way imaginable. I tried to find her, and I ended up just submitting the information I did have to the police, not even trying to find her anymore. I should have done more for her, and I feel like a fucking coward." I decided to be upfront about the way that I had felt, thinking she could take it.

"You knew that you would not be able to do it, so you gave the information to somebody who you felt like you had a chance to figure it out. In a way, admitting the truth of he situation makes you the most brave man I had ever met." She said, and then I laughed at that. Clearly she did not have very high standards if I was the fucking peak of bravery that she had met.

"I hope that you go on and meet braver men if I am the best that you can be asking for. I mean, when you see me, and I am acting like this, it is a sign that I have a long way to be going before I am even considered in any way brave and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was just feeling like I had said all that I needed to here. That I did not need to entertain the idea of me being brave man any more. But at the same time when I was looking at her, I was seeing her actually looking like she had meant it. And that was the thing that was shocking me.

"Wow, you're actually not joking... I thought that you had just said that to make me feel better." I said, and then I was seeing Nicole looking like she was trying to find something to say that would be able to make her sound easier to discuss things with. But at the same time, she was clearly looking like she was just thinking that such a thing might be fucking impossible. But then she was coming closer to me, thinking that her attempts were what mattered the most.

"You have a lot of stuff you are going through. I mean, you're in fourth grade. You should not be forced to deal with missing siblings. If I had missing siblings, then I would be probably taking it much worse than you. Especially since I don't really have many people I can talk with about it. With people not liking me all that much." She said, almost sounding sad over it. I was thinking that I was just needing to try and be a friend to her, and not for lust or power, but because she was just feeling like she needed it.

"If you need a friend to help make you feel better, to make you feel like you actually can be comforted in some way, I always can try and be there for you." I said, and then I was sort of seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more. But at the same time, she was sort of thinking that I had already done enough. And that I was just trying too hard to make her feel better.

"Thanks for reaching out to me, but I think that I am fine. I mean, besides, my father would probably not really think that you are the biggest friend material in the world. He would probably think that I could do better." She said, almost sounding sad over the fact that she had just said that so loud, and I was feeling awful for her saying that. I wished to be there for her more, but I was feeling awful for her flat out telling me that her father would hate me.

"How does your father even know who I am? I think that I would be very interested in knowing that." I said, and then I was just not really wanting to know, but I also felt like I was just needing to know. I felt like it was the most important thing in my current day to know. Nicole was waving her hand, almost like she was not trying to make it sound like that, and I was just unsure of how I was even supposed to feel right now.

"I don't think that my father would even know who you are. I think that I would just make that assumption, from the way that he talks about other people." She says, and despite not wanting to say anything about it, I was feeling like perhaps she was actually telling the truth here. Which was something that I fucking hated. But at the same time, I was telling myself that at least she was telling me the truth. She wasn't fucking around here, and that was something that I could appreciate a bit more.

But despite what I was feeling right now, I was sort of just wanting to find a way to sort of make it sound like I was going to be all fine with what was even fucking happening. "I think that I am just going to have to get used to the fact that my fathers connections would be making people feel that way." I said, and then after I had told her that, she was looking like she had no idea what I was even meaning right now. I was thinking that as long as she was nice about it, I would tell her what was going on, and see what she was going to say here.

"What does you father plan on doing here, if you do not mind me asking?" She was being nice to me, and she was one of the few people that actually seemed to be interested in what I was wanting to say. She was making me feel like I was a fucking person for once. She was making me feel like I was not just somebody who was a man who had his sister go missing. I was really glad that she was treating me with some respect.

"He insists that he wants to fight the problems of this town. After seeing what happened with Riley, he says that he feels like this is the most important thing in the world for him to try and do. And I agree with him. But I feel like something like this might get him killed. And I don't want to lose him." I said, and then Nicole placed her hand on my shoulder, as if thinking that what she would say would be a terrible consolation, but better than none at all.

"As long as you have your friends to be at your side, and you do not lose track of them, you will be able to have people who care about you at your side at all times. Just remember that when you feel in doubt." After she said that, we were seeing Dakota and Ashley coming towards me. "See you later. If you want to talk." After she said that, she left and then I was sighing, feeling totally fucking lost now.

Once they were up to me, I was seeing both Dakota and Ashley looking like they were just wanting to say something, but did not really feel like they knew how to go at it. But I was seeing Dakota taking a deep breath, as if finally feeling like he was conceding defeat on something that he never thought he would. "Sheldon, if you want to be friends with Nicole, and if you feel like you have a connection with her, we will not be trying to get you to stop anymore. In fact, we would try to support you in making it work." He said, and then after he had said that, I was seeing even Ashley looking like she was getting used to saying such a thing.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know what you see in her, and I think she might be a bad choice to be a friend, but you seem to clearly like her, and I can't fight with you on this, even if I wanted to." After she was telling me this, I was seeing her looking like she was even starting to look like she was used to the idea of trying to get along with Nicole. "And who knows, I might be able to give her a chance to see that maybe she is right on something. After all, you did give Harold a chance." That thought seemed to be getting all three of us.

As we were walking along, almost as if on cue, Harold was showing up behind us, as if he had ran up to us to try and force us to talk with him. "Hey Sheldon, how did that conversation with the police go? I had been wanting to ask you that all week." After he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he was a bit afraid of what I would tell him. But I was thinking that I might as well be honest with him. There was literally no reason in the world for me not to be. I mean, I feel like something like that would be annoying. It would make me feel like a asshole.

"Everything went fine. As you know, I gave that information to the officer. And he did not come back after that. In case if you were wondering if he and I talked again, the answer is no. It is like he did not ever talk to me in the first place. I do not know if I would want him to be doing that for me, but in a way, it does make me feel glad to just be sort of thinking about how other people are doing the job for me." I said, finally thinking about how nice it was to do that. "But I wish that I kept that knife, in case I ever need it again." I said, and I was thinking that was the one thing that would make this much better for me.

"I was thinking that maybe you guys can go to my house. I have some things that I think you would like to see. That could be a lot of fun." Harold said, and he was sounding like he was truly just needing a friend, but at the same time, I was thinking that the idea of having a friend was something that could keep us all having some form of connection and I feel like we could be able to actually have some time to have a further connection.

"Yeah, no reason not to." I said, and then I was looking right at Dakota and Ashley, wondering what they were going to be saying on the issue. They looked as if this did not really bother them all that much, and that they were glad that in a way, I was giving up on this pursuit of Nicole. As if me hanging out with this guy was instantly replacing Nicole and her sweetness in my eyes.

With that, we were starting to go to the house that Harold lived at. "I told my father about what we were doing, and he seemed so fucking scared. I mean, he was looking like he was about to fucking shit himself over what I had been telling him. But he said that he would not stop this from seeing you guys. But he wishes that it would be more kept an eye on. Kind of annoying honestly." he said, and I was sort of thinking that it was just the parental worry for his father to be acting like that. "And the fact is that he still took it better than my mother, who looked like she was about to ground me for life for something that was not even my fault."

"So I take that it is going to be taking quite a while for them to really start to actually like me, if they will ever like me at all." I said, and I did not know how to be feeling about that. If it was a challenge worth taking, or if it would retroactively ruin any idea of being friends with this guy.

"I think that they will get over it soon enough. I would not be too worried about it. In a month or two, they will probably be acting like this never happened." He said it with such certainly that I would not be able to not believe him. I mean, he was totally sounding like this was just the way that his parents were. So I decided not to be too worried on the issue here.

We were getting near his house after about fifteen minutes or so of walking, and I was sort of telling myself that I was going to be getting used to the constant shit talking from people. In all honesty, it was kind of annoying, but I was sort of over it at this point. I just hated it when parents were going to do it to me. Like I was wanting to make peoples lives miserable.

As we were on the parking lot, Harold looked at Dakota and Ashley. "They have been here a couple of times before. Not since you had moved here. I thought that they really hated me and stopped wanting to see me or something. But now I know it is just because they are too busy hanging out with you. Too busy having an exciting life." After Harold had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was mildly annoyed with the fact that they had just snubbed him the way that they did, but that he was sort of getting over it a little bit at a time.

"I did not know that you were sort of friends with them. They never really talked about you or anybody else." I said, and I was looking at them as if wondering what Dakota and Ashley were wanting to say to me. I was seeing them looking like they were a little ashamed to confront me about it. But that they had sort of gotten over it. "I guess it does not matter much though. I mean, there is not much that we can fucking do about it now." I said, and then after I was done saying that, I was sort of just trying to find a way to get the conversation back on point, but did not really know if something like this was very possible.

"I mean, we did not think it would matter all that much. Besides, he kind of lived far away. So we did not really think you would be very interested in something like this." Ashley defended real quick, and I was thinking that there was a mild form of validity to that, so I was thinking that I might as well just let it go right now. So with that, we were going inside of his house, and things were going to be going back to normal fine enough for what it was.

The house was huge. Like easily twice the size of where I had lived, and I was trying to understand how he was able to live in such a place. "I have powerful parents. You know, people who really help lead the towns events and stuff. You would be living in paradise if you were like me." He said, and he was sort of keeping a mild amount of satisfaction to it, but much less than I thought he would have been doing here. Almost like he did not want to be too smug about it here.

I was thinking that if he had powerful parents, then he must be able to possibly help me when it comes to the issues that are ahead of me. I knew that it was worth fucking trying at least. To try and get him to be on my side. To try and get him to let me get along with his parents more. I knew that it was going to be selfish, but in a way, I was sort of finding myself not giving a fuck. I mean, I was having a chance on getting people to start to go on my side. And that was all that I really needed.

"What did your parents do for a living to get them so powerful, as you describe it?" I asked, and then Harold looked at me, and I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of excited to be seeing me asking questions about his parents, since he was going to be able to be more open about how they were, and it was going to be making him seem like he was in a big group of family members that were going to make the biggest difference.

"Well, they work with the mayor. My father is a businessman who has been responsible for several people who have moved here. In a large extent, he is the one single person who is really driving this town forward." He said, and then after he was saying this to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see what I was wanting to try and say now. I was looking down, and I was feeling like I might as well just let him open my mind on it better.

"How many families move here on average per year as a result of his business offerings?" I asked, and then I was just seeing Harold actually looking like he needed to think about it. Almost like the thought was going to be making this whole thing worth it. But then he was sort of unsure on what to say now. Almost as if he was scared on giving me the wrong answer for some strange fucking reason. "I mean, I would not hold it against him if he was the one responsible, but I am curious to know if his contributions led directly to my family coming here."

"Well, I think my family says he is able to help get about one family here every two months or so. That is a good six families every year. And he says that his business deals contribute about four million dollars a year, so on his own, he is doing quite a bit help and is clearly showing that he is aware of how he can be able to help out." Harold said, and I was sort of conceding to my mind that maybe he was having a valid point here.

"I guess that he might be pretty valuable to this business. I guess that he is afraid that if anything gets in his deals, then some people might want to get rid of him." I said, and Ashley was looking at the two of us. I almost forgot that she was there. I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to get the discussion onto a point that was a little less boring than what we had been doing. She was looking like she was just not wanting to hear about powerful businessmen or something. Maybe that type of discussion scared her or something. I mean, I would not get it, but I was not going to fight her.

"Guys, do you have any idea on what you are going to do for the end of the term? You know, for our big project?" After Ashley asked us this, I was seeing her looking like she was truly desperate. But at the same time, I did not really fucking know what I was going to tell her. I had felt like she was just going to want to make us want to sound like good students. But that was going to be a sky high order so far.

"Ashley, none of us are caring as much about that stuff as you are. I think that you got to let go of that." After Dakota had said that, he was trying his best to make it sound like he was only playfully annoyed, but I knew that he was just not wanting to hear even one more fucking discussion about our school projects, or else he was going to be going crazy from her bringing up boring school stuff way too much.

"Well, if you don't work on that, then you are going to be failing the class, and you don't want to repeat fourth grade. I mean, that would be a really bad cap off to Sheldon's year, am I right?" She asked, and then I looked down, thinking about that for a moment. I was seeing her truly looking like that was the one thing she did not want me to be falling into. I was looking away, thinking about that for a moment. I was thinking that perhaps she was onto something here. That perhaps I should get into working on that damn paper if it would mean that I did not need to repeat fourth grade. Although it would give me a extra chance of being in a grade with Nicole later on, so I guess it could have been worse.

"I guess that maybe that is valid. I mean, I would not want to deal with these lectures a second time. But if I'm going down, then you guys are going to be going down with me. I am not going through that all on my own a second time." I said, and then I was wanting to make it sound funny, or at least something they would be fine with doing. But even I knew that they did not deserve something like this at all.

"Oh, everything is going to be fine. I would not be too worried about it. I mean, what is the worst that is going to happen? I bet my parents will help me find a way to stay in school for my next grade. But yeah, I guess that maybe I can set aside a night or something to write a paper and then turn it in, and say that at least I did it." I said, and then I was tired, and I was not wanting to talk about this anymore.

But despite what I was feeling, I was thinking that she was just being worried about me, and I did not need to be so annoyed with her since she was just doing her best to be looking like she would do what she could for me. "Well, if you need any help on it, you can always just ask me, and I will see what I can do to help out and stuff." After she had told me that, I was nodding, thinking that it was something that I should keep in mind. But at the same time, I did not really know what the fucking hell I was going to do now. I was needing to focus on not sounding annoyed, but I had no idea what would make me get there.

"Hey, I know this may not be a question you want me to entertain, but do you think that you will be attacked by somebody again? I mean, that was just really scary, and I was a bit worried about what you were going to do there. So I was wondering if you were going to be ready for something like this happening." After Harold asked me, I was shaking my head. I mean, I wanted nothing less in the world than another attack, but I felt like something like this was just bound to happen.

All that I can say is that I really hope that it does not happen. If it were to happen, I would lose all hope that I had in this town. I mean, I think that I deserve a fucking break right now." I said, and I was just thinking about what I would even do if I was attacked again. I mean, I couldn't defend myself. I was ten, and besides, I had nothing to use to fight.

I was sitting down, and Dakota, Ashley and Harold sat down as well. I was thinking about Riley, and I was also thinking about Nicole. It was a strange thing that I was thinking about two different people in two different cases, but I was feeling like I was sort of fucking getting something here, and I just had to see what I could do to make it work.

"Do you think that your parents might be worried about you being out like this? You know, out a fucking strangers house?" Harold asked me, and then I was looking down, feeling like if he was really meaning this, then he was just thinking too deep into this whole thing. "I mean, if you think that everything is going to be fine, then I won't be saying anything about it. I was just curious was all. If you feel like you need to leave, then that might be something that I can help you have." I did not think that it would matter what I was going to say, he was going to probably have some fears going into this, and that there was nothing I could do about it.

"I am not really too worried about what my parents might be thinking right now. They are just going to try and tell me that I can't do anything, because they are scared of what might happen with me and Riley and stuff. I think that people might just think that I might just break down and act like this is too much for me to handle. But I guess that it does not matter all that much." I said, and after I had said that, I did not really know what I was going to be feeling now.

"I don't want to be set behind on my life. No matter what the reasons behind it are, I just want to actually have some sense of having a normal life and stuff." I said, and I was looking at Harold, seeing him just looking like he was willing to let the issue go. For my own issue. Before any of us could say anything else, there was a loud noise coming along that was making us all stop. I was thinking that it was a person coming into the house. I did not think that it was anything too strange, but I was still unsure of how I was supposed to feel.

I stood up, and I was starting to see that Harold was getting less and less worried about what was happening. "It is probably just my parents. I would not make a big issue out of it." He was saying, and I was feeling like he might be telling me the truth, but I just could not take the risk. I just could not get myself to think that nothing was going on, considering the fact that there were people who would threaten my life every single day.

I saw that the door was opening, and when I saw the door open, I was seeing that it was a middle age guy who looked like he had been sent here to do something. I was instantly thinking that it was going to be another contract to kill me. That was something that I just was instantly ready for, knowing that if I did not at least give myself a chance to fight back, then there was no point to even living.

"Is this the Wilson's house?" The man was asking, and he was sounding like he was sort of casual and cordial about what he was doing. But I was still not falling for that shit. I was still convinced that something was going to be fucking happening soon. I was seeing Harold coming down, and he was looking like he was sort of fine with this, and that this was something that he was not totally scared of. "I was just coming here to talk some business with your parents. If they are here, I would very much like to discuss things with them."

"Yes, it is our house. But my parents are not around right now. They are out for a while, and will not be back until night. Then they will be leaving for a few days at the end of next week. Sort of for a deal that they hope that they can catch." Harold said, and I did not realize that his parents were into that type of business. I did not really know what the fucking hell I was going to say. I mean, in a way, I was just thinking that staying silent was going to be for the best. That I would let these two people discuss what was going on now.

"This is very important. Next time you see them, you really need to try and get them to get a time for me. Hopefully we can be able to make things work between all of us." The man was saying, and he was sounding almost excited for what we were doing, and I did not really know what the hell he was even trying to accomplish. I was wanting to know, but this was none of my business.

The man was pulling out a piece of paper, and he was writing his own contact information on it. Harold was looking like this was really a bad set up. That he was going to possibly get his parents mad at him if he were to take the paper. But he did not think that it would actually matter all that much if he was just going to hand them some paper. "Here you go. Show them this as soon as you can. I hope that you will be able to trust me when I say that this is very important." With that, he was starting to head out. That was when Harold was looking right at us, and he was looking like he did not know what he was going to want to say now.

"This is something that I always hate doing about living here. Helping my parents do their job by giving them information that I do not really even care all that much about. But I know that it is none of my business to be complaining about it too much. I mean, as long as they are able to provide a living for this house, I guess that I need to be fine with it." After he had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of wanting to find something to talk about to get his mind off the matter.

"What type of deal are your parents even trying to accomplish right now? And are you sure that you are able to handle yourself and stuff?" I asked, and Harold was looking like something like this was not all that big of a deal. He was just thinking that this was something that he had been used to and stuff.

"I would not be too worried about it. They never tell me anything. I just sort of let them do their own thing, since I know that they are doing whatever they fucking can for this town to be able to manage. But I guess that maybe one day, when I am older, I might go around and ask about it and stuff." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing Harold looking like he was just unsure of what he was even going to want to say now. I just wished that I could be able to treat him with more respect.

"Does that bother you a bit that your parents do not tell you anything? Don't you want to know how the town is functioning and stuff?" I asked, and then after I was asking him that, he was looking like there was not much that he was really wanting to say now. "I mean, if my parents did not ever give me any information at all on how this town was run, I would be a bit bothered by that right now." Harold was sort of just looking at me, sort of wanting to see what he was wanting to say now, but he was just thinking about how different we all really were.

"What do you even know what it was all like with your fucking parents? I mean, I just feel like I need some actual context on this right now." Harold said, and then I was thinking about how I was sort of getting myself to a fucking a corner, but I just had no idea what the fucking hell I was even going to do now. I just wished that I would just get into the vague details a bit and then that would be all that I really needed.

"Well, they are just working at the Devon Corporation Tower. I have not really seen them all that much, and they don't tell me much. But they tell me about how their deals help people coming here, and how they handle the logistics of all the employment of the town. I mean, I don't know much, but I know all that I fucking really cared to get to know now." I said, and I was just feeling like I was sort of looking unvalid. Not like it mattered. Since we hung out for about another two hours or so before we went our own way, and I was going home to just put this behind me.

As we had been heading along, I was getting closer to my house, unsure of what I was going to be telling my parents if they were going to be questioning what I was doing. In all honesty, I did not know if I was going to actually ask any questions, and I was just feeling like it was going to be a bit strange that I was so worried about what they were thinking of me.

Eventually, we were at Ashley's house, and she was looking at both Dakota and I. "Hey guys, thanks for being here for me. Thanks for hanging out with other people. It makes me feel like I am actually going to get something better here with my friends." After she had said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what was even going to happen now. "I just wish that the circumstances behind this were much nicer and stuff. But I guess that it does not really matter all that much at all."

"I would not worry about anything like that at all. I just think that maybe you are too worried about this stuff. But I guess that maybe it is just apart of your personality and stuff. Not that it really matters all that much. I mean, why would I go out of my way to reject going along and being with some people for a few hours when they are seeming to be nice to me and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that, I was just wondering what I was even going to do now. Why I was saying all of this when I should have just been letting her feel good enough now.

"If you say so. I am just unsure about things is all." Ashley said, and then after she had said that to me, and she was looking like she was sort of cool with this, I had seen her sort of looking like she wanted to say more. But in a way, she was feeling like there was no real need to go any further with this. But then she was just holding her arms out, trying to look like she was all fine and cool with the stuff going on. "How about we have a small group hug for the moment?"

Dakota and I looked at each other, and then we decided that we would go along with this. We hugged her a bit, and when we were done, we were looking right at her, as if wondering what she was going to tell me now. "I will make sure he does not fall back on his word. You can trust me." Dakota said, and he was trying to sound playful about it, but then I looked at him in the fuck you sense, but it was me just trying to have some fun at this.

As Ashley was inside of her house, Dakota and I were heading along, and I was looking at him. "You don't need to try and be funny about this and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Dakota looking like he was just not wanting to make anything worse out of it and stuff. "I mean, you are probably right now. Maybe I should be trying to find something to make it all fucking work and stuff."

"I would not be too worried about any of this right now. I just wish that you are fine with actually trying to go out there and do something about this whole thing. But I guess that it does not really fucking matter anymore. I mean, you are already more popular than I feared that you would be when you first moved here." Dakota said, and I looked at him, slightly annoyed at the last remark. I mean, I knew I was probably not going to be very popular when I first moved here, but I did not want him stating this.

"I mean, yeah you are right. But I feel like it would not have been so bad to have some hope in me when I first moved here." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more. Something that could make me want to get at him less than I was feeling like I should here. "I knew that it was going to be hard for me to get popular here. But trust me, I wanted to try more than you think I should have. I did not want to waste my chances of having a new life here."

"I mean, what was even going on where you used to live that you care so much about being popular in the first place? I mean, this is a clean slate, and you should not be so damn worried about this whole thing." After Dakota asked me that question, which I knew deep down was a valid one, I did not really know what the hell I was wishing to tell him. I did not know if I could be able to find anything to say that would make sense to this. So I was thinking that I would not really be too worried about it all.

"I just was very picked on, and was made fun of over every single fucking thing in the world, and I was simply over it. I did not want to deal with that shit anymore, and I was sort of wanting to do my own thing. I wanted to have a honest chance to make it work. I did not ever think that something like this was so bad." I said, and I was seeing Dakota looking like he was going to be fine with this. We were at his house, and he waved at me to end the hang out for the time being.

I was getting near the house where I had lived at, and as I was getting there, there was a small part of me that was feeling like this whole thing was just a bit rough for me to fully be ready for. I was just thinking that I was going to have to be fighting on my own. I was tired of everybody trying to make me who they wanted me to be and stuff. But I guess that it did not really fucking matter at all. I was feeling like I just had to find my own path, no matter what the hell things were going to be like when I was on my own.

In a way, I was sort of feeling like it was all going to be worth it. But then the closer that we were going, I was just seeing that when I was about half way between Dakota's place and my house, that there was a fucking man standing in the middle of a street. He was looking like in a way, he was sort of just ready for this. I did not know what I was going to need to be ready for, since I had no weapons, and then I was thinking that he might not be trying to go after me at all. But then I thought that maybe if I just avoided his direction, everything would have been alright.

I was just so close to my house, that I was not wanting to deal with anything at all. I was so fucking over everything that was happening around me. But in a way, I did not really think that it would matter what I was even doing. I was just wanting to stay home, and just act like there was nothing that would be putting me in danger at all.

The guy was coming right past me, and then he was looking right at me. As I was trying to get past him, he was calling out to me. "Hey, what are you doing out so late?" The guy asked me, and I was just looking right at him. I was annoyed, but I felt like I just needed to be patient with him, and that I was needing to see what the hell he was even going to want to say in the first place. I was just thinking that I would listen to him for a moment, and then be done with it.

"I was just hanging out with my friends. It is nothing that important. I was heading home now. I will be on my own now." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say something else. I was totally convinced that there was something going on here, and that he was supposed to be going after me. I did not know how I was to feel, but I did not really know what I was supposed to feel on this.

"You should be more careful when you are going out there and trying to do stuff. You know, not to get into any real form of danger." The man was saying to me, and I was looking away from him, just not sure why the fucking hell he was even telling me any of this in the first place. I was just thinking that perhaps he was going to try and do something to me. And that was something that I was genuinely scared of right now. But I was thinking that maybe I should just listen to him a bit, and let him talk the talk in his own way.

"Don't worry, I would not be stupid enough to be put myself in danger, and not be actually thinking about what I was doing right now." I said, and then I was saying that to him, I was sort of just unsure of what I was even going to try and do now. I was feeling like when I would be at my house, I can just put this whole thing behind me, and then I would just pretend like this never happened at all.

"If you ever feel like you need a hand in helping you out though, then I will see what I can do to help you out." The guy said, and I was just thinking about how my house door was literally just about a hundred yards away, and how I was just needing to get away from him. I was thinking that as long as I was just going to get away from him, then everything was going to be done, and that I did not need to worry all that much about what was going to happen now.

"I doubt that I will be needing anybodys help. Trust me, I would not be setting myself into any situation that would justify even the slightest feeling of something like that." I said, and then after I was saying this, I was thinking about what was about to happen now. If I was going to be able to actually get this guy away from me. He was looking at me as I was getting farther and farther away, and this was really when I was starting to get uncomfortable at what he was doing to me, since I knew that there was clearly something he had planned.

"Thanks though I guess for the offer. I guess that I will remember it if I had to." I said, and then after I had said that, sort of feeling like the sooner that I would get away from him, the sooner that I could pretend like this was just not the flat out strangest thing that I had ever had to deal with. I mean, for fucks sake, this guy just randomly shows up, and starts talking to me like a fucking creep with no real prior context to anything at all.

I was inside of my house, and when I was inside, I was wondering if my parents were really going to actually care about what I was doing at all. I was just thinking that maybe when my parents would see me, they would just tell me that they did not want me to do something like this again, and then they would be sort of leaving the matter alone, and that they would respect my space when I was needing it here.

"Hey Sheldon, how have you been today?" My father asked, and I was seeing him at his chair, looking like he had been deep in thought. Almost like he was trying to calculate the best chance of his current deal working out well. I was seeing him sort of looking like the very thought of this deal failing was just not even an option. "I have been having a hard time here, but I have been doing whatever I can for you guys."

"I have been alright. Just doing whatever I could with my friends. Sorry that I came home later than you guys probably wanted me to. I mean, I was just losing track of time. I hope that this does not hurt your feelings too much." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, the man was looking like he had just been through so much that he could not find himself to care if I had spent a few hours extra with my friends. Almost like the prospect of me doing that was actually nice, considering the fact that he was uncertain of if I was going to do even that in the first place.

"I mean, there are a lot of things that I have been focused on. I mean, I noticed it, but I would not get myself to care too much about it. I mean, I just knew that you would not follow what happened to Riley, since that was too much for everybody to handle. And to be honest, I don't know if you even fucking understand how much it was truly a nightmare to deal with that." He said, and then he was thinking that he needed to give me a break here. "But the thing is that I am just trying to make everything at this town work, and that is all that I can really care about here."

"I have been trying to keep Riley in mind every time that I go out and do something. You know, not to over step my fucking mind and stuff. I just wish that I did not have to deal with these types of problems anyways. It is just awful to be thinking about how much I am going to miss out of because of her being missing, and how much she never did a chance to do so many things that I had wished to do." I said, and then I was going to my room. My father decided that he could get my attention, to make it clear to me what he was feeling now.

"Don't let Riley keep you back in life. I think that you deserve to try and have some fun in life. I think that you should prepare to just accept the fact that you are your own person, and that Riley is going to be fine soon enough. The police do their job, and you will be fine." My father was telling me, and then after he was telling me that, I was unsure of what I was going to try and say now.

"But I think that when she doesn't get to do stuff, and I do, many people will be looking at me as cheating out in life, and that she should have been getting more of a chance and stuff. I think that this whole thing is just a bit much for me to handle." I said, and then I was sort of feeling like my father was going to try and find a way to be making me annoyed. He was going to try and find a way to force me into thinking that I was a decent guy.

"Sheldon, I would never ask you to be looking for her. No matter what, you deserve to be on your life. I think that you do not need to be forced to be thinking about what you had missed out on because of a situation that you could not have prevented and stuff. But I guess that nothing I will be saying will get you to listen to me and stuff." After he had said that to me, I was feeling like he was doing his best considering the situation.

"I will try to think about that. Thanks for saying this to me." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing my father looking like he was feeling slightly better. As if he was feeling like this was something that he needed to get off his chest a bit, and that when he was done saying what he was feeling here, then he was going to fucking be fine. That he was not going to be trying to say anything else, since he had already made his point.

I was heading to my room, and as I had been doing this to him, I was feeling like he was such a nice guy. I mean, he really seemed to be thinking about what I was needing to discuss, and he was looking like he was always going to be there for me if I had needed such a thing. That was the one fucking thing that I had needed from this day forward when I was going on with my fucking life. I just felt like as I was going onto my bed, that I was going to see Riley again one day, and that I just needed to be patient with the world around me.


	3. The Forming of the Tamers

In August 1986: A sixty six year old man was coming home one day after his long shift at work, and quite frankly, he was tired, and didn't really feel the mood to be dealing with many more issues that day. Especially when he was considering what he was thinking about doing that night when he was finished with eating his dinner, and finally settled down for the evening. What he had felt like he had to do, in order to finally bring a certain level of peace to the issues that he was feeling in his mind.

He had heard news reports about there being monsters attacking the town. All over again, and making a giant wreck of things. The entire time that he was hearing this news, and he was hearing the reporter next to him just yelling out the information as if that would keep him safe, this man was feeling like he was cursed with the knowledge of knowing the truth of what was happening here. The truth that this was something that had been going on before, and been going on not only before this, but when it had happened before, the damage was much worse, and it was far more wide spread than anything that had been reported going on this time around.

It was something that he thought he would have been able to brush off for the rest of his life. And for fifty years, he had done a decent enough job at it. Just pretending like what had happened was just nothing more than a horrible nightmare that he had just not been able to fully wipe away. To any other person, that statement would have been the truth, and not just some lie that he was telling himself in order to just pretend like he would be able to repress things greater than ever before.

When he was going to be home that night, he was going to finally reveal to people, mainly his own family, who he had a feeling knew about this as well, what his prior knowledge to the subject was, and he was going to be able to sort of help them out with planning ahead in the future. Planning on how to get through this effectively. Because even if this was still lighter than what he had to deal with fifty years prior, it was still a bit deal on the long run, and he was thinking that he would not ever be able to fully forgive himself if he did not help them for the sake of him pretending like he had no idea what was going on here.

The whole issue was something that he felt like would be his final great contribution to the media before his retirement. The retirement that he had long awaited for since the day that these attacks had happened, and he had to pretend like this never happened to avoid getting attacked and getting killed. And him building up a life in a town that he had truly called home away from home, only to leave again and be stuck here, where he felt like he was never able to contribute anything at all.

He was getting inside of his house, and the entire time that he was doing this, there was that small part of him that was wondering what he was even going to actually accomplish when he was alone. What story he would actually tell. What story he was wanting to even tell. He had truly thought when he was actually truly on his own, that something like this was just going to be really hard for him to truly put together. In a way, he was almost thinking that this was just what life was meant to be like. Some fucking punishment to everything that had been thrown at him in his life.

He sat down on the chair of his living room table, and he was just placing his hands on his face, rubbing the eyes for a few seconds, as if trying to finally put to mind how insane his entire plan had truly been. How insane it was that he was going to be trying to find a way to tell the worst story of his life. The one story that he had never been able to fully get over, and the one story that he had felt like was going to be haunting him until the fucking day he died at the way he was heading.

He pulled the messenger bag off of his shoulder, feeling like this was just going to be a good start. Then he was opening it up, and pulled out a empty note pad that he had taken when he had left work that day, in which he was going to be writing his long and awful story on his past. When he placed his note pad down on the table, and pulled out some pens to get him started, he was smiling at the thought that if for nothing else, he was going to have a chance to at least put the memories behind him. So in a way, he had been thinking that something like this was actually what he was needing. And if he would put it behind him, and tell it to his family, who could have a chance to pull through on this themselves, he felt like it was even better.

There were several loud noises going on around him in the back ground. As he was hearing those, he was aware of the fact that this battle was setting off, and it was just getting even worse around him. Despite what he was hearing, and what he had told himself earlier, he could not help but worry about his family.

Sure his two sons got along with their mother a bit better than him, and his wife and him certainly had their own problems, but he was still feeling like he would be a heartless bastard if he did not care about what was going on with his own family. He wanted their safety, more than he cared about his own.

He knew that if his children were going to make it through this, they deserved to know the entire truth. They deserved to know the truth behind the forgotten legend that was of the tamers. If that legend was even something that people wanted to consider to be real. The legend of the monster attacks in New York City, and the legend that he had witnessed slowly becoming more and more real as time went on, no matter what he was thinking of the matter. Even if he was not ready, there was no way that anybody could have been at all.

He started writing a little bit, to see if these early sentences were going to start to do it for him. "Hi, my name is Kazu Shioda, and I am a father of two, and I have been living in Wayside, Minnesota for roughly three years now. Before then, I had lived out a large portion of my life in the state of Indiana hiding from a horror that I had witnessed decades ago. A horror that the government had done an amazing job hiding up because if the public knew of the truth, then there would be chaos. There would be no form or order to anything that would have been going on in this country. So in order to make it seem like everything was fine, there was nothing that would be too overtly covered.

Fifty years ago, there was a monster attack in New York that nearly cost us all our lives. If this monster had won, the entire last fifty years would not have been allowed to happen at all, and there would have been nothing that we could have done about it. I had witnessed several of my friends fighting along and trying their best to make sure that this did not grow any worse. Many of them would be willing to do everything possible to make sure the world would not fall to this attack.

Only really looking back do I appreciate how much danger we had been in the entire time. Only looking back do I realize it is a miracle that I lived to see the end of the day. But I guess that this is something that comes with age, and something that comes with hindsight.

I have been hiding the truth for fifty years. And now at this time, I feel like it is time to understand the truth. It is time for me to be open about what is going on, and I will tell you the entire story. The legend of the Tamers." The man started, and figured that this was an okay preface, and that it would have to do. Then with that, he started to tell the real story. And this time, now that he had started, he was not going to hold back.

...

Chapter Three: The Forming of the Tamers

The story starts with a young teenager named Takato sitting in his room one day. Minding his own business. Wanting to go out and find something that could make the time at the city even more interesting. Despite everything going on, it was hard for him to really get any fun outside of school. He would usually walk to school every day, do his daily homework, and then go back home, and sometimes hang out with his friends for an afternoon to just pretend like homework was not all that big of a deal. He wished that something like this could be done more easily, considering how boring homework really was, and how much he would rather be working at his parents bakery than dealing with that, which was really saying something.

He had felt that the only really redeeming quality about working at the bakery once every week like his parents wanted him to was that every time he was finished, his parents would pay him a quarter for every hour he had worked. Which was a really exciting amount for him and would give him something to lay down with when he was going out with his friends and stuff.

He was never very good about keeping the money though. He would always blow it within that weekend by hanging out with his friends. The two days of the week his parents didn't nag him about doing homework first before going out. The two days of the week they seemed to understand that school should not even be a word around in the discussion due to how much he would freak out over the very mention of it.

But despite what he was feeling about the idea of doing school work and stuff, he was also telling himself that the worst that could come out of doing that was that he would have to wait another hour or two before going out to school. He never really did all his work, which was something he never told his parents. He always did enough to make his parents seem like he dedicated a good amount of time to it, and then he would be able to use that as his chance to get the fucking hell out of there. Usually before he would go bed, he would speed the rest of it, and then pretend like everything was fine.

He was not a very great student when it came to academics, but he was still doing better than some other people he knew. Such as myself if I had to tell the truth. I literally just rushed my homework every morning before school and just pretend like I actually did something, and then I would turn it to the teachers when they wanted. It was not very healthy of me, but it was a habit that I liked to do since I fucking hated going around and studying for hours on end.

Anyways, let's get back to the matter at hand. So Takato was standing up, after he had finished everything that he had needed to do, and got out of his room when he shoved it all in his back pack. Then with that, he was going by his parents, seeing them just discussing random things such as political events. Being around the election season that year, you were lucky if you went a twenty four hour period of time without hearing about politics. And with New York City, when even that early, the area was blood red democratic, everybody in the area was a Franklin Roosevelt supporter. It was just the natural order of things in those days.

Which was no surprise when every time Takato would walk out of his room, and he would see the outside entrance of the bakery, he would see a 'Roosevelt-Garner 1936' sign, and while he felt like it might be bad for the business at first, he realized over time that it really was not all that big of a deal. Like literally nobody ever even brought it up.

As he was at the door to go outside, his parents were calling out to him. "I hope you have a good day, and remember to be back before it gets too late." His mother said, and despite how annoying he found it when his parents told him that, he knew that they were trying their best to be nice, and that they were really not that bad of people. So with that, he nodded, and left the house, just so he could finally get to doing the things he was actually wanting to. So he would be able to make use out of the remaining hours he had before he had to go back into the eight hour grind the next day.

As Takato was out, he was going to be going to hang out with his two friends that he usually hung out with after school on the prospect that they were the easiest to hang out with in general, and they lived the closest. These two being Kenta and Kazu. They met back in third or fourth grade, so they had known each other for a few years. Takato did not think he would be friends with them at first, but they seemed to be decent enough to him that their general differences on certain issues did not really bother him all that much in the long run.

Kazu lived the closer out of the two, so Takato figured that he would try and go there first. Figuring that maybe when he would talk with him, they could get a few minutes to talk and hang out before Kenta would show up, and they were hang out then as a trio. It was due to them being closer that Takato ended up spending about maybe an hour to ninety minutes more every week with Kazu than Kenta, which means that if he was forced to choose a best friend, the higher amount of time would probably make Takato pick him.

"So Takato, what were your parents like with homework this time? I can't even imagine what it would be like for my parents to be constantly getting in the way of my time." Kazu said, and then after he had said that, it was moments like this when he was thinking that he had the coolest parents ever. Just the way that he presented himself made it very obvious that was the thought set that he would be having.

"They just basically made sure that I did my homework, and that I did not flake on it. I am used to that by now. Does not mean that it is any fun when they do that though." Takato said, and he was thinking about what it would be like if his parents were a little cooler on it. Not so much in his face. But he felt like he needed to not be too stuck up about such a thing.

"I think that your parents need to relax. I mean, what is the worst that is going to come out of failing a class? Repeating it? I mean, come on, it is not like that is the worst thing in the entire world. We still have a couple of years to mess around with it." Kazu had said, and then he was thinking that perhaps Takato was going to try and act like there was something of sense to what his parents were doing, but he decided not to say anything.

"I don't think that I am going to really make them change their personality. If they want to make a big thing out of school, they will. It is not like it will really matter too much. But what I think is more important is how annoying that they are about it." Takato said, thinking about what this whole thing would be like if his parents would finally give him a bit of a fucking break and stuff. If such a thing was even fucking possible and stuff.

"I mean, any amount of them doing that would be making me annoyed. So that already shows that you have a higher tolerance to this than I ever would probably." After Kazu said that, he was mildly sounding like he should be changing that about himself, but that this was something he did not really fucking care about at all. He was thinking that if anybody was going to make a huge issue out of it, then that was their problem.

"As long as they do not tell you that what you are doing is a problem, then it is probably nothing that is going to get you into too much trouble. I would only fear it if they confront you on the matter." Takato said, and he was actually meaning what he had said. He was thinking there was no way in hell that this person would be so serious on the fucking matter now.

"Yeah, exactly, I think that you get exactly what I mean right now." Kazu was saying, and then they were eventually knocking on the door to Kenta's house. "I mean, the worst that comes with this is just every few months my parents might have to talk to my teachers about my work not being all that good. And to be honest, that is something that I can be able to live with."

Eventually, Kenta opened the door, and he was looking right at them. "I was wondering if you guys were actually going to be showing up here." He said, slowly closing the door and looking like he was excited for that hang out that day. As if what he was going to be showing them was really going to be a lot of fun. This was making Takato and Kazu a bit more interested in learning what was happening. Kenta was looking like he was putting more focus on his pockets than he had usually done. This would make it very obvious to him that there was something going on in there, and Takato was more determined to learn what that was.

"It took just a little bit longer to do my school work than I had expected. It was nothing too bad. Just wish that our teachers wouldn't mind giving us one or two classes every once in a while just to relax and not deal with that bullshit." Takato said, and he was sort of thinking about how it was a bit annoying. But in the end, it was nothing that he could not live with. "Besides, you look like you are wanting to show us something? Would you mind letting us just know what it is?"

With that, Kenta instantly got an embarrassed look on his face. As if he did not want to be exposed right away or something. "Well, yeah, I do. But I will wait until we are in a more secluded place. I don't want to give away what I have been looking into so far. Would really ruin everything." After Kenta had said that, he was looking like this was the most important piece to the whole puzzle. As he was saying this more and more firmly, Takato was looking right at Kazu, and he was feeling like this was something that was just going to really be bugging him the entire time they would be talking.

"Well, there is that one hut near the school. That is the only secluded place that I can think off." Kazu said, just trying his best to sound helpful. "There is no real reason for you to hide this. I mean, nobody is really going to be going off and speaking out about some random giant secret that you are wanting to show us." Despite what he was saying being truthful in his eyes, Kenta was still not convinced, and was starting to walk towards that hut, ready to show them whatever this was.

As they had been starting to head on towards the school, Kazu was feeling like perhaps he could slowly get Kenta to explain to him what the fucking hell was going on. "So, what is it that you are even wanting to show us? I mean, if it is so secretive. Is it like a porn magazine?" After he had asked that, Takato did find a mild form of amusement in the statement, although he was thinking that it would not be porn as it would be too small to fit into his pocket.

"It is not a porn magazine. Although that would be a lot of fun to be totally honest. But I doubt that we will be getting something like that at all. My parents are like super strict on that shit. If there was porn at the house, they would be freaking out the minute that they had found out." He was laughing as he had said that, as if remembering something that had happened back in the day, and something that would probably ruin their trust in him for quite a while, which would not have been all that fun. And was one of the main reasons he worked at school the way he did, that way they can slowly be able to gain some trust in him and get off his back for what had happened earlier.

"Damn it, if it is not a porn magazine then I really want to know what it is. I mean, there is nothing worth hiding more than porn." Kazu was trying to sound like this was very funny to him, but he just really wanted to know, and the wait was just killing the fucking hell out of him. And that if he did not know the truth, it was just going to be driving him insane.

Eventually, they were getting closer to the hut, and Takato was just sort of looking like he was wanting to see what was going to even be happening now. He had felt like the faster he would be be getting up this hut, the faster that Kenta would show them what he was hiding, and the faster that they would be able to get this shit over with. Since in a way, Takato did just kind of want this whole thing to be gotten over with. He was wanting to know just as bad as Kazu, the only difference was that he was being more calm about the whole situation.

As they had gotten up, Kenta was looking like he was feeling more and more at peace for what was happening. Kazu was looking like his patience was killing the fucking hell out of him, and Takato was just simply more eager than he was wanting to admit, but still not wanting to make Kenta uncomfortable unlike Kazu probably would have done if he did not hurry up with it.

Then he was pulling it out of his pocket. As if he was feeling like both of his friends were going to stop pulling a fucking prank on him the moment that he showed them what he was holding. He knew that this was just something that they would never really fucking forgive him for. But then he was showing them a stack of cards. As he had showed then the cards, Takato was looking right at Kazu, and he was just sort of unsure of how to be reacting at that moment. It was just too strange for him to fully process why Kenta had made such a deal out of it.

"Listen, I know you are probably going to be acting like this is really stupid, and that I am wasting your time, but this is a game that has never been shown in the media before. I think that I might be onto something when I had found this. That I could be able to find the next big movement." Kenta said, and he was still rubbing the box a bit, as if feeling like this was his biggest contribution he had made to the group. Kazu was just looking like he had enough.

"What is it? Maybe you can explain what the value of it to us is, and we might be able to really know what to think then." Takato said, trying to make himself sound reasonable. As this was going on, Kazu was just telling himself that Kenta usually did a good job on this so far, and that maybe he really should be giving Kenta a chance first. So with that, he waved his hands as if to indicate that he just wanted to get this whole thing over with.

"It is a game called Digimon. It is like you have a bunch of monsters, and you try to control them with various actions. They have different power levels, different things that they can do. You know, sort of like a army that you could be able to control if you tried hard enough. I mean, I barely looked into it myself, since I wanted you to see what you would think of it. I think it could possibly be a kind of interesting game to at least try out." Kenta said, and he was looking like he was just really hoping that Kazu and Takato might be able to share the same sentiment as him.

"And it is just one game. The worst that is going to happen is that we feel like we just kind of wasted our time. I mean, it's not like we have done even bigger wastes of times as our activities before. So I think that this will be fine. I really think that it is something that is worth a try at least." After he had said that, the other two guys were looking more and more like they might as well give this a go, and just see if it was worth all of this debate in the first place.

The three young teens were starting to play along, and as they were getting into this game, despite none of them wanting to admit it, they were actually finding some real enjoyment out of this. Takato was slamming a card down when he was feeling like he had come up with a winning hand, with a small style smug look on his face. "Of course I would win." He said, trying to make it sound like it shocked him, or like he was feeling bad for them for the fact that he would beat them.

The more that he was looking at his card, Kazu was slowly starting to see that maybe he was actually having some form of a winning hand. Seeing something like this was really exciting to him, and as he had been looking at the card, he realized this was just the one chance he would have to get Takato to have a not so over confident reaction anymore.

Despite being low key unsure of if he was going to win, he was figuring that he would just try though. So as he had been telling himself that the worst that would come out of this was the fact that he would just not understand a card game that he had only learned about. He placed the car down, and both Takato and Kenta were looking at it. With Kenta having given up on winning the game in the first place.

Takato was sighing a bit, and then he was hanging his head. "Damn it. I thought that I had a chance of winning the upper hand. But I guess that it does not matter all that much." Takato said, and then he was looking right at Kazu and Kenta. "So I guess that maybe I don't really know how to handle this game quite yet." But then he was starting to look like there was a slightly more positive look on his face. One that he felt bad for having, considering the context behind it.

"Honestly, I have to admit I did feel like that was pretty fun. I did not really think that I was going to be enjoying that as much as I did. But I don't really think that it should be a game we continue playing, you know to avoid getting made fun of by our classmates and stuff." After he had said that to his friends, he was still feeling like he was caring somewhat about his popularity.

"I have to admit that I enjoyed this much more than I ever thought that I was going to. But in all honesty, I think that it is something that I would only be doing once or twice. I think that it would kind of run out of its style after a while. So I will be leaving it alone." After Kazu said that, he was kind of looking like there was something else that he was wishing to say now.

"I have to admit though, I did enjoy winning that game. That was something that I never thought would happen. So I guess that maybe something like this might be not so bad after all." After he had said that to his friends, he rubbed the back of his neck, and then he was starting to calm down a bit more than he was wishing to before.

"I mean, I doubt that our classmates would ever really even know about this game, so we probably would not even get made fun of if we were to continue playing along with this game and stuff." Kenta tried to defend the situation, and as he had said that, both Takato and Kazu were looking like they had been just wanting to go along with this idea. Then they were both sort of looking like in a way, it was a fucking game.

"Yeah, you are probably right. I mean, this is a random hut near the school that most people probably do not even come by and stuff. So I would not be worried too much about it, as long as we do not bring it up at school. Is that fair?" Kazu asked, and he was looking out the hut, as if trying to find something else to say, but felt like he had made his point. He was too scared about the reputation and getting even less popular than he had already been.

"I guess that I am not going to argue you too bad on this. But what should we do now? I mean, aside from possibly doing just another game or something like that." Takato was saying, and then he was starting to give Kenta the cards, just to let it be clear with him that he was not going to be continue pushing this whole thing any further. That he was going to just let them go along and do other things now.

Eventually, the three of them were jumping out of the hut, and then Takato looked right at Kazu and Kenta. "I mean, I guess that we should just go home. I mean, I do not want our parents to be getting annoyed with us or anything like that." Takato said, and he was just trying to sound like the good son here, because he was tired of his parents always getting in his case about every single thing that there could possibly be.

"I don't really think that it is too late to justify that we should be going home. I mean, we have barely been out for more than an hour or two." Kazu was telling his friends, and he was just hoping that this statement could appeal to their sense of reason, since this was just something that he felt like they were not going to understand what the hell he was even feeling now. Kazu just wanted to stay out for an extra hour or something.

"Yeah, it's not that late. I bet that we can be able to find something." Kenta said, and then with that, Takato was holding his hands in defeat, as if sort of thinking that he was defeated, and that there was no real reason for them to try and rub it in anymore. Then with that, they were starting to walk around, trying their best not to be too bothered the constant noise going on around them. It was something that hurt Kenta's ears, but he did not want to admit something like this to them.

As the three of them were walking along, they were just sort of trying to try and find something else to be doing their mean time. Eventually, they would be seeing one of their class mates as she was going around town, and she was looking like she was wanting go around and be with some friends at the moment. Which was hard for her to, since she was an even more socially rejected person than the mildly popular Takato, Kazu and Kenta. At least with the three guys, despite them being nowhere near the big group at the school, at least people could be caught talking with them, and they would not be made fun of. This girl would make people question somebodys standards if they had been caught hanging out with her.

Despite all of this, and him not wanting to admit it to the point where if flat out asked, he would lie on it, Takato did harbor a secret crush on this girl. She was somebody who on the very few times they had interacted was honestly a nice girl. She was a bit hard to talk to, due to her hard time forming long sentences, but she was not mean under any case and stuff. "Hey Jeri, Takato said, and she was looking up at them. Both Kenta and Kazu looked like they did not want to be doing this, but they were also thinking that Takato was just not going to be rude to her under any case.

"Oh hi, I did not expect to be seeing you here. I thought that you were just going to be too busy hanging around with your friends to be wanting to talk." Jeri said, and she was looking away from him, as if thinking that he was just too good for her. Takato was just trying to look like he was wanting to say something, but did not have anything that could justify himself.

"Listen, I was just hanging out with them. I did not think that you were going to be taking it any way. I mean, you're a nice person." Takato said, and he was just trying his best not to be stuttering with what he was saying to her. Almost thinking that if he wanted to make it sound like he was going to make her see his perspective, but he knew that something like this was just not going to come together, and he might as well give up.

"I mean, if I had hung out with you more often, there could have been more of a chance that I would be able to have chosen to see you. But it is just too much for me to be sure off. A lot of stuff that I already have to juggle. I mean, I am sorry for that." Takato said, feeling worse for it as he was saying it, even if at the time he did not think he did anything wrong. He was just seeing Jeri slowly getting to look at him, as if she was just trying to pretend that she was able to see where he was coming from and stuff.

"Do you feel bad for what you had done? I mean, I was starting to finally grow to like you as a friend. And you decided for the sake of popularity to not see me anymore. I mean, do you know how shitty it is to have people tell you that you are not popular, so you are not worth going out to hang out with." After she was telling Takato that, he was placing his fingers on the in betweens of his nose, just trying to wash out that incident.

As she was saying all of this, and she was wanting to see what Takato was going to say, she quickly saw a glance of Kenta and Kazu, and she was just wanting to see what the look on their face would have been. She was taking mild satisfaction in the fact that she was seeing them look like even they regretted this. She was seeing Kazu just looking at the wall next to him instead, and Kenta was putting his hands in his pocket, as if being casual was all that he could.

"Please, I did not think about how much this was going to bother you. I thought that you would have been fine with this. I did not think that it would in any way actually matter what I would do or say." Takato was saying, and he was holding up both of his hands, and he was just hoping that reason could break to her. "I mean, besides, I did not actually think that you would be in any way interested in hearing what I would be saying. I thought that you were just sort of on your own and stuff. So I hope that you did not blame me for what I had felt."

As he had finally finished what he was saying, he was seeing Jeri looking as if she was just not able to find any way to go along with what he was saying and stuff. "I was starting to get interested in what you were saying. But I did not think that it was going to be all that big of a deal if I was just going along on my own. I guess that maybe it does not matter what I say now. You want to act like we actually have a chance to make it work. I am not sure." She had said to Takato, and as she had said that, there was a spot of her that was seeming to sort of be accepting what she had said, and that she did not feel the need to try and deny things to herself anymore now.

As he had finally started to find himself into wanting to say more, and he was seeing both Kazu and Kenta starting to show a mild form of empathy in the way that they were looking, almost like they were silently conceding that she needed more of a chance, Takato was looking at her again. "I mean, I understand if you are going to just say that you do not want to deal with seeing me anymore. That I have just hurt your feelings too much... But would it really hurt to try and give it one more chance? To see if perhaps there is something that was there, if we would just go and look hard enough." Takato finished, and he was just feeling like he was sort of done with it all. He was tired of this, but he was finally wishing to see what she would tell him here.

Despite the fact that he was low key confident that she was going to just be telling him off, she was slowly thinking about it more and more. She was slowly finding herself actually trying to be reasonable about the whole issue. But then after she was seeing that Takato was starting to feel a little bit bad about the way that he had acted, she was starting to think that maybe he was not a huge asshole after all. So she had felt like she needed to just be a little bit more reasonable on it all. "Alright, I guess that I will forgive you. I guess that I am able to give you another chance. Besides, I don't really think that I would be able to be angry at you forever." Then with that, she was still not having a smile on her face, or anywhere close to it, but she was starting to feel like she could at least look at him, and not being totally pissed at the idea of doing this.

After she had told him this, Takato was just giving Kenta and Kazu a look. They had been just slowly looking like they were just trying to find a way to be accepting what had been happening now. They were looking like they were starting to think that maybe Jeri was somebody who was not all that bad. After all, she had the courage in finally stating the way that she had felt on a issue. She was finally able to have the guts to say something that had been bothering her, and that she was just wanting to see what the people who had bothered her were going to be reacting in order to defend themselves. "Hey Jeri, I know that you might not want to be jumping to something like this right away, but I was wondering if maybe sometime, you could be willing to go on and hang out with my friends and I. I just think that this whole thing can be a good starting point to make something work."

Kenta looked at Takato, as if thinking that perhaps this was jumping too far into the situation. That despite the fact that they were sort of willing to admit that they were sort of a asshole, he was not really wanting to actually go on and hang out with this girl. He had felt like something like this would just be a problem mainly due to the fact that they were not really having too many common interests, which would not be too much of a problem if it were not for the personalities. "I think that it is the least that I can do to be nice to you. If you are willing to even let something like this work." Then when Takato was done, he was seeing that Kazu was just placing his hand on Kenta's shoulder, as if telling him that this was a time to be keeping the opinions to himself and stuff.

Then with that, Jeri was slowly starting to nod. She was almost just thinking that while the transition was a bit strange, and even arguably a little bit dishonest, she was thinking that if he was really meaning what he was saying, then there was no reason not to be giving it a go. After all, despite the differences between the two of them, she was also thinking that she would rather have a friend who used to be a asshole to her than nobody at all. She was thinking that as long as she would have somebody at her side, she was thinking that it was a chance to get something going. "Yeah, maybe something like this would not be so bad after all. If you are actually meaning what you are saying." She just was trying her best to be looking happy, but was still having a relatively hard time to be doing this.

Despite the fact that Kazu and Kenta were still not wanting to go on and try and act like they were going to be friends with this girl, they were still truly thinking that this was something that she deserved. And that if for nothing else, if this failed, it would just be something that they could say was not going to come together. "What would you like to do now?" Takato asked, and he was seeing her looking like she was actually even a bit shocked that he was going out of his way to offer her stuff. So with that, she decided that maybe she could show him some stuff that she found to be a bit interesting.

"I guess that I can show you one of the places that I like to hang out at when I am alone. You know, when I want to just stay out for a little bit before I have to come home and stuff." She said to the three guys, and none of them really knew how they were going to feel about being caught dead hanging out with her, but then it was after school, and some of them were feeling that as long as they were not at the school, it would not be all that big of a deal.

"So, do you get along with your parents." Kenta asked, having a mild amount of interest to what he was saying, but at the same time, there was still that part of him that was largely doing it to be nice, and did not really feel like he was wanting to make her just think he did not care. "My parents are nice to me. They just do not really get in the way of what I do normally, unless if I was really just not doing any work at all. Like if I was totally bombing out of school and shit."

"I don't really want to talk about my parents." Jeri said to the point, and it wasn't even what she had said, but the way she had said it that bothered Kazu and Kenta. With utter conviction, and with a level of anger that would show that she was not even wanting to think about this at all. And that them trying to talk about her family was almost making her feel like it would have been better to not have them around.

"I mean, it is not a nice subject, and it is something that the less that I think about it, the better it will all be for me." Jeri said, and she was done with it, not even wanting to try and think about it anymore. But after she was done saying that, both Takato and Kazu and Kenta were thinking that perhaps it would be better to just listen to her, and that the longer they would leave her alone, the better she would be willing to work with them.

Eventually, as this was happening, Takato was sort of wanting to say something else. To talk about something that he had felt like was going to be getting to get her to want to continue talking now. "So Jeri, what do you like to do after school, if you are not somebody who has very many friends and stuff?" He was trying to not say it in a way that would be giving off a bad impression, but at the same time, he knew that if he were to try hard on this, it would just make her feel like there was a total level of dishonesty to it all.

"I just like to hang out around town. Usually until sun down, which is nicer to do on the later parts of the year. I like to stay in my room, and draw some of the time. Just to be getting my mind off of certain matters. I mean, it is not all that big of a deal as long as people don't try to get in my way here." She said, and then after she had said that, she was starting to look like thinking of her art was giving her a small level of satisfaction. "I mean, I feel like I am getting kind of good at this stuff. I mean, my art is the one thing that I feel like I am getting better on over time."

"Do you ever feel like you will be showing people what your art is like? See if you can be able to get somewhere from it?" Takato asked, and then after he had asked Jeri that, she was almost looking like she was just thinking that the guys were giving her too much credit. But she was going to take the moment as it was going along.

"The thing is that I doubt many people are willing to actually give the idea of really looking into art, to see it for what it is. I think that people are just sort of fine with thinking that they are better than anybody else." Jeri said, and she was just trying to sound like she was sort of not wanting to let her anger come in on this. Her anger on the fact that the people in this town seem to not really give a single fuck in the world about the people who are actually showing some form of talent.

Despite the fact that she was feeling like this, there was a part of her that knew that she was being ridiculous. "I mean, I think everybody has a talent." She said, trying her best to be going around this subject in the nicest way possible. Thinking that as long as she was calm about it, then the people she was talking with would not feel like she was going too far with this whole thing. "It is just more of a matter on which people are finally able to see what the talents are, and how they are able to go through with it. I hope that people don't have to make anybody else suffer from their reluctance to see the truth."

"Do you feel like maybe people are just not sure on what they would even want to do to embrace their talents if they were to truly see what those talents were? Maybe some people don't really want to be thinking about having these type of talents because the less they think about it, the less that they will feel like they have to try and go through with them, giving them more chance to have some fun on their own." Kazu said, and he was saying it in a way that he was just trying to make it sound like there was nothing bothering him, but he was truly feeling like there might be some talents or something that he wanted to hide for his own sake.

"People need to embrace it. There is no reason not to. Anybody who tries to act otherwise is wrong." She said, and Kazu was looking away, and just decided that he was going to be leaving the subject alone. He was thinking that he was tired of not showing any real talent, but thought that if he were to ever show some talent, he would be over it. The stuff he was thinking about was not related to the card game, although he did think that he might be able to pull something on that if he were to try hard enough.

"If you try to show your talents, do you hope that people will be able to just fully embrace them for what they are, and not try to force anything else onto you and stuff? I think that something like this would be a valid concern to be having right now." After Kenta had asked that question again, Jeri was thinking about it a few seconds. But despite the fact that she was not a big fan of going back to that question again, she knew that Kenta was just a bit more curious than anything else.

"It would be great, but I doubt that it would happen. I think that people will accept things when they want to. There is not much that you can do about it until you get to that road. So I think that you just have to be taking things slowly, and that is all that I feel like can really be done. Besides, people are just not really ready to accept something if they feel like it is a step below what they feel like you can do. That is just a fact." Jeri said, and after she had said that to them, they were seeing a person in the area that they felt like they might have gone to school with before.

Eventually, Takato was thinking that he could try and speak to that person. "Hey Jeri, thanks for talking to us a bit. I know that you might still not be believing in me, but everything will be fine. We can talk later." Takato was saying, and Jeri was confused, and wanted to know what was fucking happening. But at the same time, she felt like there was a level of sincerity to what he was saying, that he was not actually lying to her this time.

"What is going on? Are you supposed to be doing something else right now?" She asked, and Takato was just feeling like talking to that one person was going to be a fine enough reason to be doing this. In his mind at least. Although he knew deeper and deeper as he was thinking about it that something like this was just not actually making a whole lot of fucking sense.

"Well, there is somebody over there who we go to school with." Takato said, and he was also pointing at the girl who was a bit in the distance, and he was feeling like he was just wanting to see what she was doing. But then he was thinking about it for a bit, and then decided against it. Feeling like maybe he was just being a bit silly for what he was saying. "But maybe she might be fine on her own. I don't really know."

"She is a bit strange. I mean, she is also kind of mean to me on the few times that I have talked to her instead." Kenta was saying, and he was just unsure of what Takato was even trying to accomplish there. "Besides, I think that even if we were to try and talk to her a bit more, she would probably just tell us that she wants nothing to do with us." But then he was thinking about what she would say to him if he were to say that in front of her face.

"I don't know what her main problem is. But maybe she has something going on at home and stuff." Kazu said, and then that was pretty much the most that he was really willing to go through with this whole thing. But he did not really think that he needed to say all that much on it. He was feeling like he was already sort of gone on far enough with talking about this girl, and that he had already made his point in the fucking matter. He was almost wanting to say something, but he was just feeling like when he would try to say more, there was going to be a part of him that would feel like he was being a little bit of a asshole and stuff.

"Oh come on, it would not hurt to go on and check it out. So I think that we should go and see." Takato was saying, and then after he had said that to them, Kenta and Kazu did not say much. Even Jeri was thinking that something like this was just not going to be worth it. But then after she was giving Takato that look that maybe this was going to be something he should not even bother with, Takato was sort of thinking that they could have been onto something there. If they were all looking that way about it.

As they were finally convincing Takato to be giving up on the whole issue, Takato was just thinking that they should all be going along, and just sort of leaving her alone for a while longer. As they had been walking a long, the girl was sitting down on her chair, sort of just minding her own business, not even really knowing that just several meters away, four people were talking about her a bit longer and stuff.

She was sitting down, looking down on cards and stuff, as if trying to find a way to find out what she was going to be doing with these cards. She was needing to find a way to make her companion to be a bit stronger, and she was wanting to find a way to be able to win all of the games that she had been going through so far. Despite what she was feeling at the moment, there was just something that she was needing to work with it.

She just felt like there had to be something that would make sense out of the stuff she was looking at. "There has to be something. I mean, this whole thing is too much to handle. I can't fucking understand anything about this game." She was saying, and she was just starting to rub her hair a bit, as if trying to find a way to not lose her mind on the whole issue. In a way, she was wanting to just throw the cards on the ground, and then just leave them alone, and then be on her own. In a way, she was wondering if any of this was going to be worth it.

She was then starting to put her cards in her pocket, and then she was thinking that when she would be going home, then everything would be starting to come together. Everything would be better, as long as she would just go on home, and then maybe try to find some answers there. The entire time that she looked at the cards, one of the things she was telling herself was that the cards were too hard to really comprehend.

In a way, she was wondering what the fucking hell was point in doing any of this. She was sort of telling herself that whoever made this fucking game needed to take it much easier, and not be going out of their way to do something that she would be able to go along with what she was actually wanting in a certain regard. She had thought that if she had made the game, she would have done it in a way that most people would have been able to understand. Or at least to where she would have been able to understand it from the start.

The longer that she was walking along, the more that she was sort of just thinking that when she was home, she can consult her companion on this whole thing. She was sort of feeling like maybe her companion was going to help her understand what the heck is going on in the first place. If any of this was even going to matter much.

Eventually, she was getting inside of her house, she was sort of just wanting to act like she was just needing to see what they would be saying to her. To see if they really had any idea on what the hell was going to be happening and stuff. She was just heading right towards her room, and then as she was going to her room, there was a voice that called out to her. This was her mother, and she was sounding like she was mildly concerned over the fact that her daughter was staying out for such a long period of time and stuff.

"Rika, what were you doing out so late? You were scaring me really badly when you did not return home for such a long time." She said to Rika, and then Rika was closing her eyes, as if trying to make it act like she was not pissed at the way her mother was speaking to her and stuff. But then she was telling herself that maybe the worst that would happen out of playing along with this would be that she was just going to have to admit that her mother had noble intentions in her eyes.

"I was just out trying to do some work. Nothing very important. I think that it was just something I needed to do in order to be ready for school tests and stuff." She responded, and then she was placing her back pack on the ground. As she was starting to sit down on her bed, her mother was calling out more towards her, trying to speak to her in a way that would make the two of them start to connect a bit more. But she could tell from the way that Rika was looking that she was probably not going to be very interested in what was going on. But she was thinking that she had to try and speak out to her.

"Is there something going on that is bothering you? I can always talk if you needed it." She said, and she was ready for Rika to be telling her off, to be acting like she was putting too much onto her and stuff. But the way that Rika was looking, in a way, the way she was almost like trying to press her on stuff, she knew that in a way, she would not care what Rika was going to say at this.

"I am fine. Nothing is bothering me. I am just trying to pass my school assignments. I don't think that any of this is a bid deal. Don't want to fall behind on my studies and stuff." Rika was saying, and her mother was looking down, almost as if feeling like there was just no point in even trying anymore. She was already making her mind up, and that was all that there would be to the matter. Rika's mother was looking away, and gave up, and then went to her room, feeling like Rika was going to open up sooner or later.

She was laying down on her bed, and she was looking at the corner of the room. Rika was kind of annoyed, but figured that she needed to talk with her companion a bit longer. To see if she was going to be able to get them to have a reaction, and perhaps even explain some things to her that she would not fucking understand. In a way, she was pissed, but she was still hoping her digimon would be able to explain some things to her here.

"Renamon, what is so hard to understand about this game? Why are you not able to help me out figuring this situation out?" She asked, and then after she had asked her companion that, a standing fox was walking right out and was ready to try and speak to her, and try to have a level headed response, to not make her even more pissed at them and stuff. The fox and Rika had a hard time getting along on some cases, but the fox did not want to make things even worse by being rude to her or anything. They had felt like if they had done such a thing to her, Rika was never going to forgive them. Rika was going to hate them even more now.

"I do not know what to say to help you out. I do not much understand that game myself. I hope that you will be able to understand what it is trying to present to you. Because my knowledge of it is very limited." Renamon had said, and then after she had told Rika this, they were hoping that perhaps Rika was going to be fine with this answer. Renamon did not want to be getting Rika on her case about what was even happening now. Despite the fact that they were a monster fox, and Rika was only a mere human, their connection, and the way that Rika spoke, always made the fox a bit scared of how Rika could easily ruin their lives with a single request.

"I hope that you will be able to help me out. I need to understand if I am going to have any chance of being able to be able to win this game in the future. So you better find out how this is gong to be done, for both of our sakes." Rika said, wondering what the fox was going to say. In a way, she was wanting Renamon to be giving off a slightly altered reaction dependent on their mood.

"You are the best one at the game that I have seen. You probably do not need to worry about this as much as you have been." Renamon was telling Rika, desperately hoping that the way that they would compliment Rika that she was going to give them more of a pass, and make them actually think that Renamon gave any care for what was going on.

"I do not need to be the best from your observations. I just need to be the best flat out if I am going to have any chance to protect myself." Rika said, and this was her showing her slight fear more and more. She did not want to be pushing herself to this extent, but she knew what this world was like, and she had to think more about how she was going to simply survive. And in order to survive, she had to press herself to a level that she might not really want to go. It was the only way that anything can be done.

"What are you trying to protect yourself from?" Renamon asked, trying to finally understand what Rika was on about. Despite their problems, and despite their differences, Renamon did deep down care for Rika. They were wanting to show Rika that they had a chance to just talk with somebody who would actually listen. It was just more of a matter of if Rika was going to be taking the cue, or if Rika was just going to be telling them off, as if what Renamon was saying was not really anything that they wanted to hear.

"I have been having some nightmares. And I have a feeling that these nightmares are going to be coming true." Rika said, as she was looking right at Renamon, knowing how silly she was sounding, but feeling like maybe Renamon was going to be able to understand what she had meant. "I mean, I feel like there are actually monsters out to get me. You know, that digimon besides you are going to be coming along. And I want to try and protect myself. Protecting myself is the only thing that I can focus on."

The silence for the next several second was getting to Rika. She could not be able to take it anymore, hoping that she could be able to understand what Renamon was being silent on. "Are there other digimon? Are they going to be able to come to this town, and hurt me? Are digimon becoming real as a result of these fucking cards?" Not knowing the truth was driving her insane, and it was the one thing that Renamon just needed to be honest with. Renamon looked down, and then this was when Rika had felt like she was needing to be more stern with it. "Tell me the truth. I don't fucking care what you say."

"Digimon are real. Not just me. There are more of them here. But I do not know what they are going to be doing with earth. if they ever really plan on coming back to earth or anything like that. I am just as lost as you on that regard. I hope that if something were to happen, you can be ready for something like this." Renamon had said, and then after Renamon had said that to Rika, she was seeing her human companion looking like the confirmation of more digimon being real was just getting to her.

"If digimon are real, then is there any way that I will be able to defend myself at all against what is going on here?" Rika asked, just scared of what her digimon was going to be saying. She knew that they must have been real, because of Renamon, but she did not want to believe in such a thing. Thinking that it was just going to be a bit much for her to handle. It was not really anything she wanted to truly think would be coming in her way.

"They are something that you can't really be ready for, due to how powerful that they really are. You just have to sort of go with what you can, and make sure that they are some of the weaker ones that you will be able to defeat easily. Every single time you defeat one, their power comes into that digimon or person who defeated them, and that is able to make them more powerful, and slowly able to destroy stronger ones. That is how I was able to survive as long as I have. Being able to fight some when I was in my native world." The digimon had said, wondering if Rika was going to understand what she had said.

"If you are going to be seeing them, will you actually fight them? Will you make sure that you can be able to survive without getting killed, and that can be able to protect me." Rika asked, and the more that she was looking at Renamon, the more that she was feeling like this digimon was going to be the only thing in the world who would keep her safe. The only thing that she was going to have with her. And this was something she was both used to, but also scared about in a way. The fact that her only helper was a digimon. One of the very things she had feared.

"I will do what I can. I don't know if I will be able to promise you anything at all. Such a thing is going to make me feel like I am lying to you. And despite our disagreements, I would never want to be lying to you." Renamon told Rika, hoping that it was enough to make Rika want to be a bit more open with the stuff that Renamon was speaking of here.

"Trust me, if you can be able to help me out, and give me some peace, it is the one thing that somebody can do that would make me feel better. It is the one thing that somebody can accomplish that would give me any form of feeling that I will have a chance to move on from this." Rika said, wondering what Renamon was going to want to even say at this point. As she was saying this, her expression was ranging from fear to hope, on so many different levels.

"I'm tired of this shit already, and it has just started. I do not want to be forced to deal with even a single ounce of this bullshit." Rika had said, and then she was just trying to find a way to be nice about it. But there was no way that something like this could be possible. She was feeling like if she wanted to be presenting herself in a nice way, then she was just going to be telling people about the fears that she was having here.

"You will have people who will be able to help you, even if you do not get it, or see it happening for yourself, you can see it happening sooner or later. I think that this is what you truly need." Renamon said, and she was just doing her best to be making Rika feel like she was not hopeless or anything like that. But despite what the digimon had been feeling, they were almost certain that there was going to be no way in hell that they were going to make Rika see that there were things at her side, as long as she just reached out, and tried to make something work.

"I doubt that anybody can help out from pure fear. I think when you are utterly scared of something that is going to happen, you just have to sort of be ready for it. I think that when life comes to a head, you just have to go with it. I mean, life is rough. And when you are somebody who is dealing with things that are vastly superior to you, then I think you will finally understand how I am able to feel the way that I have, and in a way, you might actually support my statements right now." Rika had said, and she was wondering what the digimon would say. In a way, she was honestly curious on if Renamon ever had to deal with such a thing themselves or not.

"We do know what it is like. Humans are better than us. You might not be able to fight as strong, but you have a stronger grit, and you are able to discuss things with people. You are able to make weapons that can destroy an entire world. You might not realize how scary such a thing is, but I think that deep down, you probably can see what I am meaning on my perspective." Renamon said, and they did not try to say that to make Rika feel better. The idea of what human kind can accomplish was one of the few things that made Renamon actually fear.

"In all honesty, it is not nearly the same. I think that when you try to say that we are the same, you do not really realize what you are going in for. I mean, monsters are here. Digimon can destroy entire cities in a matter of minutes, if what I fear is true. I think it is much different from what you fear." Rika said, truly just unable to see where Renamon was coming from.

"You may not see how they are the same yet, but they are much more the same than you really want to believe. And when you see how similar it really is, then I think you will be able to know what you should be expecting in the long run. I want to help you, but I do not know how I will be able to do it if you are unable to fully understand some connections." The digimon told Rika, and she was just looking right at the digimon, as if sort of just trying her best to be getting it. But at the same time, she was sort of unsure of if she was able to at all.

"If you feel like I will not be able to understand it, I think that maybe you need to try and explain it to me." Rika was saying, almost scared of what the digimon would be telling her. In a way, she was just truly wanting to see the truth. But in a way, knowing the truth was going to be opening her mind up to things that she was sort of unsure of if she was ready to go through at all. "I mean, is there something you know that I don't have any clue of."

Renamon was sort of thinking about how they were going to try and talk to Rika in a level headed matter here. "There are a lot of things that humans can do. Digimon have had to on many cases see what you are capable of, and more often than not, we have been forced to just pay the effects of your abilities. You might not have due to your age, but us digimon have been barely able to truly defend ourselves." After Renamon was done saying that, there was a part of Rika that wanted to question more, but decided that for her own sake, that she was just going to pretend like Renamon was able to just leave it alone here.

"Renamon, if you are telling the truth, I hope that I will not have to deal with what you are saying in person. It sounds like something that I will not be very ready for." Rika was saying, as if just thinking that her statement was the best that she was going to do. And that as long as she did not force anything too much onto the digimon, they could expand her mind a bit.

"We may not know when we see something like the truth coming to a head. When it does, I can try and be ready for it. But I do not think that I will be able to make any true difference in the long run." After Renamon had said that to Rika, this was when Rika decided that she was just going to remain silent. The underlying tones slowly getting to her in more ways than she wanted to actually admit here.

"Thanks for that. I don't want to know what it will be like if what you are saying is true, and what I will have to do to try and be fully ready for something like this." After Rika was saying this, in a way, she was sort of just telling herself to be going along with it. But at the same time, there was also something that she was feeling like she just needed to try and understand. Something that was going to get her to sort of see what Renamon could do.

"Are you going to be able to be here and survive? If you gets stronger, and you are able to fight longer, then shouldn't that mean that you will be able to help me along when I really need this the most? I think that I just really need to know if I am going to be fully ready for anything at all." Rika asked, Renamon was looking a bit sad. As if thinking that they were not able to make them feel better. That trying to say anything to console Rika was going to be really fucking hard, and that maybe there was just something to avoid by doing something like this.

"I can try to survive. But as digimon know, fighting is something that can only really help put on certain doses. Fighting is something that can only guarantee you an extra day of being around. You never know when the say is going to be that you will find something that will be stronger than you. And when you do, you are just going to have to find a way to support yourself going forward." Renamon was telling Rika, wanting the girl to be aware of how things were like when looking at the grand scheme of things. How things were always going to be.

"As long as you at least try. And as long as you promise me that while you are here, you can try and make things work out the best that you can, then maybe I will not be able to hate you." After Rika was saying this to Renamon, she was hoping that the words she was saying was going to sort of help Renamon feel like there was more to help her out than they expected.

"I can see what I can do. Maybe it will work. Maybe it will not. But I do know that as long as I put in the effort, I can't be angry at myself, and I hope that others will be able to forgive me. For anything that I have been lacking on. As much as I may not like to admit it." Renamon and Rika were both left thinking about what to do now. Neither one of them knew what the future would hold. And neither one of them knew that they had wanted to see the truth.

That night, heading on towards his house, there was a guy with blue hair just sort of minding his own business. Just trying to focus on the path ahead of him, and feeling like he needed to find a way to focus his attention on the things that are going on around him. In all honesty, he had no idea how he was going to get the people who were with him to fully understand his situation. Considering the fact that in a large way, he did not really know if he fully believed in it either. The fact that he was pretty much forced to fight for something that he did not even know actually exist.

He had just been thinking about the conversation that he had with this older man who he had talked with for a much longer period of time than he had wanted to actually openly admit if somebody were to be asking him. The man was named Davis, and he was an eighty five year old man that he had to help for some form of community service when he was dealing with his own high school work on a project.

He had sat down next to the man, feeling like he was just needing to be ready for what ever this man was going to ask him to do. "Sit with me young man, I have along story that I want to tell, and I hope that you are ready to listen." He said to the teen, and then this young man sat down on the chair, ready to listen to Davis, and see what he was going to tell him in the first place. "What is your name? Let's start there. That way I know who I am going to be hanging out with." The older man had said, and then the teenager responded to the question.

"My name is Henry. I am in the middle of doing a school project, where I am supposed to try and learn about one of the senior citizens at town. I was hoping that you could be able to help me out and tell me your story." Henry said, and then he was feeling like this was going to be a long ride, and he was feeling like in a way, he was going to be kind of wasting his time doing this, but he was telling himself that the old man was probably going to appreciate it if he did not show his public feeling on the matter.

"Alright, I will tell you what I want you to know. It is going to be a hard and long story for you to be hearing, and it will be taking multiple sessions, but I think that when I tell you all about it, you will appreciate the fact that I have been able to let you know about it beforehand." Davis was telling Henry, wondering what Henry was going to say to this comment. He was remaining quiet, as if hoping that this Davis was actually telling the truth, and not lying through his teeth on saying a interesting story.

"It is a story about wild imagination. I was a kid when it started. I guess that all stories are like that. When I was seven years old, still barely able to really understand the world that was around me, I was hanging out with this one girl who lived near me down in southern Georgia. We were just off doing our own thing, barely even aware of the fact that there was going to possibly be a war looming over that was going to be led by our side." Davis said, feeling kind of awful for what he was saying, but at the same time, he also knew that it was not his fault. How could he have known? He was just a kid at the time.

"Our first time hanging out, we were talking about a world that we had wanted to create. A world with monsters, and a world where we could simply just be able to get our imaginations running for hours on end every single day. We just wanted to have some fun, and it was the best method that we could be able to come up with." Davis was saying, and he was looking at Henry, who was still looking like he was not too confused at the story so far, and was able to follow it all.

"We were making stories every single day, writing what we were able to agree on down on paper, and just simply trying to see how far this was going to go. I had no clue what was going to be coming out of this. I was telling her about some heroes I had in mind, some wars we had created, and before we knew it, we had a hundred pages. A hundred pages of a wild story that we did not really have connected. Just a bunch of five page stories that were unconnected, but were coming along well." Davis continued, as if sort of not regretting what he had been saying, and thinking that if he were to regret what he had done, it would be regretting the very friendship he had with this girl.

"As time would go on, our stories would become much more in depth, starting to actually contain real stories, actual characters are you may be thinking, and over time it actually seemed like it was something we could be able to have a power on." Davis was going on, and Henry blurted something for a moment.

"What came out of all of this? Did you really get any fulfillment out of it? You know, besides hanging out with a friend that you enjoyed seeing and stuff." Henry did not know what else he was going to say, but he was feeling like this was a good starting area. Davis looked at him, and he was feeling like Henry might not be patient.

"I was going to be getting onto that soon enough young man. The stories that we had created would soon into small books, and soon enough it would become everything we had ever truly wanted. You see, the war was starting, and neither one of us were really caring too much what was going on. We only cared about one thing: Expanding the imagination that we had been having, and showing off the fact that we had created a world. We even made a world map." Davis was starting to smile at the prospect of his world map.

"At the time, it was the biggest thing that I had been able to accomplish. Granted in a way it was my only accomplishment at the time. But it was still something that I enjoyed. I would come up with the places, and Tara would come up with the outlines of the physical world as she would draw it. A lot of the areas looking like borders of states and stuff. Like South Carolina for instance, since that was the one that was right next to us. Then Alabama, then Tennessee, and we were slowly expanding. We were just going with what we were able to have, and we were slowly getting to a point we had felt like we could not be stopped." Davis was thinking even to himself that looking back it was nothing too impressive, using the world map, but when they were kids, it was the best they could do.

"We used each one of these states as a sort of border for the countries in our world. Having each state being a sovereign nation that would be having their own rules, different regulations, and ideas that would drive them forward. These ideas were simple at first. Stuff like good and evil. But over time, we would fully have stronger outlines for each of these nation states, and then we would make our next one and with each state, our knowledge would become stronger, and then we would have to update the previous ones before we would move onto the next one." After Davis said that, he was taking a long breath to think.

"Our one for Georgia took only a few days, then the South Carolina took about a week, and then we updated Georgia which took more days. Then eventually each new state would take about nearly two months before we would finally move onto the next one." Davis said, and Henry was wanting to know what to say next. There was something about his rambling that he shockingly found to be kind of interesting.

"What happened next? If you do not mind telling me." Henry said, and then Davis was thinking that Henry asking him this was finally making him feel like somebody appreciated his life for what it was. And with this, Davis started to tell the true story, and he as going to go as long as he felt like he needed to for it to all be done.

"Thanks for showing me at least some interest in knowing what the truth behind this town, and behind my life actually are. I will let you know the story as well as I can be able to, knowing the fact that you so politely asked me. The story went a bit stranger than you would have expected, and than I would have expected. And a bit more tragic. Such as about half way through the war, our town was attacked during a raid. Something that we were not really ready for.

I was running to try and escape. I was wanting to be safe, no matter what the cost was going to be. But that cost was something that I did not think that I would ever really be ready for. Tara died during that attack. It was something that broke me for a while after it had happened. Made me resent the world. Made me feel like everything was unfair, and that I should have been allowed to try and go on and save her. I felt as if I was cheated on the idea of being a hero.

I was cheated out of something that I should have never been forced to do in the first place. I should have never been forced to be there for her as she was bleeding to death from a fall that she had faced when we were inside of a forest. I was holding her, as she was laying on my arms, and she was forcing me to make a promise with her. One that I did not know if I could keep, but I never wanted to make somebody a promise if I would break it. So I decided that I would at least try.

And if you are wondering what the promise was, I will let you know right now. She made me promise her that no matter what was going to happen, I was going to at least try and keep the world that we had imagined to be going. She wanted me to at least try and see what I can do to keep the small legacy that we had been building up alive. I was unsure if I was really ready to do this, but I knew that it was something that I had to at least try my best to work with.

I hid in that forest for several minutes afterwards, and when I was there, trying to keep away from other people, who were going to attack me, under that bridge, I was telling myself that I would try to give myself a proper burial. I was going to try and live up to her wish. Because she deserved something more than what she had been given, and I was going to at least try and give this to her.

When I had gotten out of the forest, I was unsure of what I was even going to be doing now. I was feeling like there was going to be a great burden on my shoulder forever. The fact that I was going to have to accept the fact that there would be somebody who I was going to have to try and honor, as well as the fact that I was just needing to try and survive long enough to even remotely have a chance to do something like this in the first place. It was a lot to handle, and I was unsure if I was going to be able to.

Despite my feeling of uncertainty, I was back at home that night, trying to act like I did not know what was going on, and what was going to be the new life that I was going to be living, I was home seeing my father scared. He was looking like he had witnessed one of the most scary things he would have ever imagined. And I realized even at my much younger age that maybe in a way, he actually had done just that. I did not think that I was ever going to fully get it. But I was able to understand it even then, despite how much I did not want to admit that I did.

One thing that I was unsure of at that moment was how I was going to tell my father what I had known, as well as Tara's death, and there was a part of me that was feeling like I just needed to keep that information to myself. That the longer that I would keep that away from him, the less that he was going to think that I did something wrong, and that people could just assume that she died from the attack normally.

The next several months went by slowly easier. Every single passing day, I was getting along better and better. Every single day that had passed, I was feeling like I had a chance to be able to act like none of this ever fucking happened. I was even slowly starting to feel like I would be able to go back to the forest again, and maybe even enjoy what I was doing. So this was the route that I decided that I would be taking when I was going to get into the final stages of the war.

As I was inside of the forest, I should have thought better than to do it during the late night, but I was too young to think about the stupidity of that. Or too uncaring for my own life, and my own moral value system. Maybe a bit of both. But I am unsure of what was keeping me from actually doing something smart. And that would have been just staying home when it was not during the day. Or maybe I was just wanting to see what was going on there, to put this whole mess behind me again.

I was just going along, trying to keep myself presented in a way that I was not scared. But there was no words to describe how scared I was. Eventually, I was encountering a darker version of myself. Like pure black. With red eyes. I only knew it was supposed to be me because of the way that the shape was outlined. I did not know what I was supposed to do when I would see them, but I was telling myself that I was just going to have to fight and be prepared for what was going to happen next. Despite the fact that something like this seemed fucking impossible. I knew that I had to try.

I was forced to fight him, because if I would just try and go away, they would probably fucking kill me, and I did not want my town to be going with any more death, to be going with any more grief. I knew that I had to try if I was going to make my town and my father feel like he was going to have at least some form of peace with what was going on around his own home town. So I defended myself as much as possible, fighting them a little bit at a time, slowly taking them down more and more the longer that we had been fighting.

They had fought me for a while, and the entire time that they had been going at me, and trying to kill me, I would just continue to fight back. The lasted probably about ten minutes before I had been able to destroy them by stabbing them in the chest with a tree branch, and the man was not able to continue. I stared at the corpse. Angry at the fact that I had just killed a man, and then despite this, I decided that I would be going to my house again, trying to put it all away.

As I was heading on home, there was something that distracted me though. A fountain. I went to it, sort of wondering what one of those was doing in a forest. As I was staring right down on it, I was seeing that the fountain had been glowing a bit, and I talked with it. For some reason I thought it would work. The fountain did respond, and told me that I got to have any wish that I had wanted. As long as I made a blood sacrifice." After Davis said all that, and took a breath, Henry decided to take this chance to see where the story would be going next.

"Did you make a wish? What did you have to sacrifice? What was the wish that you had made?" Henry asked, and then the older man was glad that he was asking all these questions, showing them all that he was paying attention, and that teenagers were still able to be relied when you gave them some time and pace. Davis answered all his questions, and more of the story.

"I did make a wish actually. One that I did not think was going to be coming true, and one that I was just putting in to sort of indulge the ideas of this fountain. I cut my hand with a piece of glass to fit into the fountain as my blood sacrifice, and then after I had done that, I was sort of going along with what the fountain wanted. I wished for the world that Tara and I created to become real, as a way to sort of fulfill her wishes. I did not think that anything was going to be coming out from it, and a part of me was thinking that this was going to be pointless. But I don't care. I wanted to try and make it work for myself and the others around me.

I did not think much of it at the time. In fact, I did not think anything of it besides how stupid I was to cut my hand open for virtually no real reason. After I had gotten home, I covered my hand up before my father knew what I had done. I went to bed that night, and pretended that none of this happened because I did not want to be getting in trouble with my father. And my mother would not have been able to defend me on this, since she died minutes after I was born.

A couple more weeks passed and the war had ended. I was honesty so over the war that I did not give a single fuck who would win anymore. I just wanted this to be done with, so that way I could be able to move forward with my own time, and work on the worlds creation just a bit more at the time and stuff.

Eventually, I had forgotten about the oath, and I was just adding more and more pages to my book. My world that I had been taking on the helm of for nearly two years by that point. Eventually, I was revealed to that this world that I had made in my imagination with literally nothing else going on actually was real. That I had actually managed to create it.

You may be wondering how I learned that something like this happened, and how such a thing were to happen in the first place. In all truth, I do not know about the latter. As for the former. I think that it was able to come along due to the fact that I had been going with my own life. I was forced to fight a monster that was like a hound. Not only that, but it looked exactly like the monsters that I had been creating on my own time, which was enough for me to know the truth.

The monster attacked me, and as you might be expecting, I had no choice but to kill it. I mean, when you are being attacked, and you are forced to just try and find a way through something, it is all that you are able to really handle. I killed the monster after a while of a fight, despite not being sure if I was going to be making it, and then when I had done this, the monster vanished, and I would start to learn more of the truth as it would be slowly revealed to me.

The monster has something on their dog tag, and I picked it up. There were some instructions on it, and the entire time that I was looking at it, I was slowly letting the dots connect, despite the fact that it had seemed insane for me to even consider at first. I mean, how could anybody who was sane be thinking that there were giant monsters that were coming along and invading my town and stuff just to kill me. I think you must see how insane that something like this really is.

I had spent the next several weeks in my house for most of the day, just in utter fear, and each day I would add even more notes to this world, trying to expand it more and more, trying to finally let the world become what it was. I was scared that I was going to die, and it was something that I was just needing to work harder to pretend like it was just not going to be bothering me in the long run. But I guess that there is nothing you can do when you are presented with something this scary.

Eventually, there was a monster that decided to meet with me one on one, before I even had a chance to try and fight back. The monster was telling me their name. Telling me what they had against me, and how much they were going to try and make this world of theirs a better place when I was going to be gone. How much the digital monsters did not want me at their side. How much I was only making things even worse by just simply being around. I did not realize that something like this was actually going to be happening. But I did not want to die. I was wanting to live, and that was the main reason that I was going to just fight as much as I could given what I had known. What little I had known.

I told the monster that I was going to fight as much as I could, and that no matter what was going to happen, I would not put myself in danger of death just because they were telling me that I was only making things worse in their eyes. I was not really wanting to hear any of it. I wanted to live, and I wanted to give them life as well.

I would tell you more, but it seems like I am running out of time for now. I hope that maybe we can meet up often enough to tell you more of this story. If you are interested in it of course." Davis said, and Henry nodded, shocked at how interested he was going to be in such a thing. He had no idea that he was actually going to be intrigued by a old man talking about some weird fantasy world he was creating back in the day when he was younger. He did not know what he was really going to be thinking of the matter, and he was just wanting to see where this would be going in the long run.

"I do have something for you that I want you to take." Davis was putting something out of his pocket. It was a green device, and he was slowly handing it right to Henry, as if thinking that it was the best that he could do, but it was still something that he needed to let Henry have for listening to his entire story, considering how patient he had been this entire time.

"You will know what it is when you come home to your house, and when you see it, you will know why I am giving it to you before I give this to anybody else. Trust me when I say that I know what I am doing much more than you expect me to." After he had said that to Henry, he was wondering what the younger guy was going to say to this. Henry was unsure of what he would try to say, but he was just thinking that maybe he needed to respect what this old man was saying.

"Thanks for letting me listen to your story. I do actually want to know what it is going to be like when I come home. Maybe I will come back every few days on this." Henry said, and he was finally feeling like there was at least something that he was going to be able to start to look forward to in the future. So with that, he was standing up, and he was slowly heading out of the house, trying to decide what he truly thought of the material that was told to him.

As he was heading on home, there was a part of him that made him convinced that he was chosen by this man before they even met. That there was something going on here. That there must be something that made him seem to be the man that Davis would want to approach. He did not get it, and in a way, he did not want to. But in a way, he felt like it was needed in order to truly understand what was going to be coming in the future.


	4. Jeffrey Woods

On August 1 1986: There was a twelve year old kid named T.K. Shioda who was coming to a summer camp, just supposed to do it as a so called rehabilitation on the issues that he had been causing with his family that year and stuff, and his parents were hoping that this was going to be used as a chance in order to get T.K. to be calmer, and not as out there as he had once been. He was thinking that this was over all going to be pointless, but at the same time, he was aware of how much his parents were insisting on it, and deep down, he was feeling like the worst that could come out of this was just that he would be wasting a couple of weeks. After all, if it was also going to get them off his back for a bit, it might have been worth it in the end.

He was laying down on the bed that he had sat in, with his right arm throwing a ball up and down a bunch, just trying to do something with his hands due to how bored he had been by this point in time. There was no better way that he would be able to describe the feeling that he had besides perpetual boredom, and just a feeling of sort of being over the wait for the summer to be over. With each passing day, he had felt the seconds tick away, and his wishes to be going back to meet up with his friends again meeting up more.

His left arm was just laying down on his chest, due to the fact that he was not allowed to use it at all since it was broken and he had a cast to show it, and he was just forced to be letting it 'recover' from that although in a strange way, he had almost rather actually go out and do something than be stuck here for no real good reason. But he was not thinking about it too much longer as it was going to be stuck in his mind the more that he was thinking about it, and then he was looking around, and seeing that there were some of his cabin mates inside of the cabin as well. Despite the fact that he did not mind many of them, he decided not to speak to the ones around him.

Despite this whole thing, T.K. was looking at the door, almost wondering what to do now. His head had been hurting, and he was not wanting to talk about the incident that had happened in the recent times. Thinking that it was something that if he were to get any deeper into, then he would have lost his mind, and he would have just screamed at everybody else to just finally admit that this was real, and that none of this had been imagined by him and stuff. He would rather suffer the knowledge that it had been real than lie about what had happened, and lie about the fact that many of them almost lost their lives that day.

"Hey T.K., how have you been holding up?" One of the cabin mates decided to break what he was wanting to do. Break the silence that he had been trying so damn hard to keep going. He was looking right at them, and he was just trying to be patient with the orange shirt kid. This guy was a fourteen year old science genius who excelled at all things science and math, although when it came to things like making essays or arts, he could not have been further behind in the field. T.K. did not think much of this guy, although he did find him always trying to talk to him for no real good reason to be rather annoying.

Eventually, T.K. decided that he would respond. "I've been doing alright. How have you been holding up Izzy?" He was cordial, and there was no real need to be rude in his own eyes, but he was still sort of making it clear from the way that he was talking that this was not something that he was finding to be in his top ten want to do activities.

"Do you want to talk about what had been happening lately? I mean it was a kind of wild activity, and I think that it is important to talk about it, that way we can be able to try and put this whole thing behind us." Izzy was saying, trying his best to be making it seem like what he was doing was not too strange. T.K. hated to admit it, but there was some validity to what he was saying.

"I guess maybe talking about it for a little bit would not be too bad. I just don't want to though, considering how awful the whole thing was for me." T.K. said, and then he looked at Izzy, wondering what his cabin mate would be saying to this statement then. "I mean, I think you can get what I mean when I say that."

"I do get it. The whole thing can be a bit much to handle. I just thought that maybe the two of us talking about it could be able to help each other out." Izzy said, and T.K. was sort of just trying to decide what he was feeling about the whole matter at hand. He just wished that anything he would say to Izzy would make any fucking sense.

"What is it that you want to talk about? I mean, no reason in trying to deflect the discussion right now since it is right here." T.K. said, and then after he had said that to Izzy, he was sort of wondering what Izzy would say now. "I was scared. I had no idea if I was going to live. I thought that I was going to die every single minute of the way, and that was one of the worst fears that I ever had, and hopefully ever will have."

"I was wondering if you had any idea what really caused most of his motivations in the first place? I mean, he seemed to actually think that his goals were good, but I think that deep down, we all knew that something like this was just going to be fucking impossible. If he really truly cared for the town so much, then he would not have been going around and did all that he had done to us. He would have tried to find a way to make it work out for all of us." Izzy said, as his thoughts were going in his mind, trying to find a way to justify what he had learned.

"If I had known what was driving him that whole time, I would have been more ready for this fight. I would have been able to truly see what the man was really planning in the first place. But I guess that it does not matter. He is done with now, and all that there is to do now is to just try and get over it for lack of a better term." T.K. was telling Izzy, and he was just not even giving a single fuck what he was going to be hearing from Izzy, thinking that this was just the only way he would be able to voice his opinion.

"If you do not mind me asking, which I know you most likely do, but I feel the need to ask anyways, but would you mind telling me your perspective of what happened? How this affected you over time, and what you had to do in order to move forward with it? Did you really have any idea of how you were going to defend yourself?" Despite Izzy pushing it with the questions in his mind, T.K. decided that he might as well just answer the question though.

"I mean, I did not really think about it all that much. I just did what I could. I mean, I was telling myself to just take the whole thing one day at a time. It was going to be my only way of living. It was going to be the only way that I was going to be able to live with the situation that was going on. Just one day a time." T.K. felt tired of repeating that second part, but he had felt like it was worth repeating in his mind.

"I will tell you how my perception of the whole narrative happened. Might as well just speak my mind, since somebody is letting me have the chance to, and there is no reason for me to to deny the right to let somebody be doing such a thing." T.K. finally decided, as he laid back on his bed, ready to be telling the narrative of what the horrors of the last week been brought to him had been. And he was feeling like there was just going to be no way that he was going to hold back, and that this was his turn to speak, and he needed to take advantage of such a thing presented to him at such a rare time.

...

Chapter 4: Dealings with a Killer

It started when I was sitting down on the bed, sort of like what I have been doing just now, and I was sort of wondering what was going on that there was not really a single person that I had known in my cabin coming in or out. I mean, despite how much I barely cared for most of the people here, I always knew that people not being in this cabin for more than a few minutes was something that was just strange. I mean, I felt like there had to just be something going on here. Because if it was a normal day, at least one of them would have been here to annoy us.

I was standing up, thinking about what the hell I was even going to be doing now. I just felt like there was nothing that was going to keep me going. I was then looking around, and then I was just heading out of the cabin, sort of thinking that if nobody was going to be going around and bothering me, and acting like I was some boring little shit, then perhaps I would be on my own, and I could do anything that I wanted at all.

I was standing around, and I was seeing some people talking a bit about some random things. I did not really care much for it at first until I started to hear what some of the conversation was about. "Did you see that the police were coming along a bit earlier? I was shocked to see what they were doing. They were grabbing Tai, and forced him to talk with them about some things related to a missing person." After the person nearer to me said that, I was sort of shocked on what I was actually hearing. But I was feeling like I just needed to ask them what I can learn from this.

"Hey, when did this happen? What missing person were they talking about?" I asked, and then I was seeing them looking like they were a bit confused on what I was doing, and why I was thinking that talking to them was a good idea in the first place. But then after they had looked at me a bit annoyed, they decided that they might as well just tell me what little they knew.

"We heard it was something related to a girl named Victoria. Don't know much about it besides that. I don't really know it is all that big of a deal to be honest." She had told me, and then after she had said that to me, I was nodding, feeling like I was just needing to try and see if I could learn more about this on my own.

I was then just walking along, and I was thinking that I was going to have a good starting point. I mean, I knew that if I got caught, I was going to get in a huge amount of trouble, but I did not think it mattered all that much. I was thinking that when I would look for a bit, it was going to add some excitement to this mundane town. Now please don't ask why I thought this was a good idea. I think I was just unbearably bored, and wanted to do something on my own.

I looked around, and saw that nobody was looking, and nobody could have noticed or cared what I was going to be doing now. So I walked out of camp lines, and I was going to be doing it without any cabin mates. I was feeling excited to be breaking camp rules, but I was also excited to be doing something that my strange mind was telling myself was right. I felt like what I was doing was nothing short of good.

When I was walking down the side walk, I was aware of what my first plan was going to be. I was going to be going to where Davis lived, and I was going to speak to him. For those who did not know, Davis was a early twenty something guy who lived in this town, and he had been doing things like trying to join the military. He was wanting to go out there and do some big service, thinking that as long as he fought for his country, he did something good.

I had known him for a while, despite our age gap, and I thought that maybe he was going to need to know what I was going to talk to him about. The main reason was the fact that I had known his girlfriend. I knew what her name was, and that was the most important part of the entire thing. Her name was Victoria, and I was wondering if she was the one who went missing, and how Davis was holding up with this entire thing.

I mean, I knew that he really liked Victoria, and I thought that when I would talk to him about it, he was going to start to break down and act like it was the worst thing that he had ever gone through in his entire life. I mean, I was sort of wanting to just be patient with him, and learn a bit of the truth that way. I was thinking that he would just sort of be acting like everything that he was doing was a bit pointless, and that nothing he was going to do would make any real difference.

I was spending nearly an hour to try and get there, just slowly trying to think of things that I was going to even tell him. I was thinking that he was going to be pissed that I was out of the summer camp he wanted me to go to just to talk to him about this. But I felt like this was the most important thing in the entire world.

I was getting to the front door of the house, and then I was sort of taking a long and deep breath, and I was starting to ball up my fist and stuff. So I was knocking on the door, just thinking about what the hell I was even going to do to get him to start to want to talk to me and stuff. I then just decided that I would be getting this over with. I knocked on the door, and then there was a few seconds before there was any response.

Eventually, he answered the door, and when he was staring right at me, I was seeing him looking like he just wanted to ask me what the hell I was doing now. He was looking a bit too annoyed to want to be playing with the details, and I was feeling like this would confirm to me that something was going on with Victoria. I decided that I would tell him the truth on the very few things that I had known here.

"Hey, I know what happened to Victoria, and I was thinking that I was going to try and help you out with this whole issue. I mean, I don't even want to think about what it is going to be like to deal with somebody who is going missing and stuff. But I feel like I need to try and help out. Since you are a decent guy, and I feel like it is the very least that I can fucking do to pull things together. Is there anything that you know?" I asked, and I was seeing him looking at me strangely, unsure of why I was doing any of this in the first fucking place.

"Are you sure that you want to be getting yourself involved in this? I mean, I have been dealing with it for a bit, and I feel fucking awful. I don't think that you really want to be getting yourself involved in that right now. You know, to sort of have a chance to have a good life for your summer. I think that you should just be going out and doing something that you enjoy. I will be dealing with it on my own. Thank you very much for offering something to me. I will be fine though, and I will just be doing something that I can manage when I look for her, which I really want to do. But I don't want to be putting anybody in danger right now. That would be something I would never forgive myself for." Davis said, and I was holding my hand up, as if thinking that I did not want to really hear it and that I offered for a reason.

"If I was not sure, I would not have offered the idea of doing something like this. I feel like you need some help to figure this out. But please, if you feel like you are not able to face the truth all on your own, just take the time and explain to somebody else what is bothering you, and everything will be fine." I was telling Davis, and he was looking down, as if thinking that there was going to be no way out of this. He gave me a look of uncertainty, but was slowly nodding a bit.

"I might as well tell you. Sooner or later, somebody is going to learn the truth, and I am going to be exposed for just not simply helping out enough. I feel like I would be a asshole here." Davis said, and then he letting me inside of his house. I did not give a single fuck in the world what people were going to be thinking about my choices here. I wanted to help a person who was in need, no matter what the moment was. So once inside, I was just thinking that I would get right to it.

I was looking right at him, and I was thinking that I would be getting right to it, since I did not want to ruin the point of this whole fucking alliance or anything like that by doing something he would not want to do. "So what do you know so far? I think that we just need to know everything that you can tell me if I want any real chance of being able to actually help you out." I felt like when I was going to be on topic, everything was going to be fine.

"Well, I don't know much. All that I really know so far is the fact that there was some party that she was planning on going to in a couple of days, and when she had told me that, I felt like there was no real reason to be arguing with her, since she was an adult, and I felt like I should just respect, no matter what I would be thinking. I just told her to simply be safe, and I did not think that there would be anything else to it." Davis was telling me and then after he had said that, he was wondering what I was going to want to say. I was thinking there was no real point to talk, so I did not really want to say much.

"Was there something that was really starting to bother you about this whole thing? I mean, I think that something like this is very important." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, Davis was just looking at me as if he was just wanting to leave this alone, but did not know how he was going to do that at all. Davis then decided he would respect my wishes on this.

"Well, I always just get worried about her. I mean, I know that people go missing relatively often and all of that shit. I did not really think that she was going to be going missing just like right away, but I was always worried about something going on. I was always worried that she was going to be going missing. I mean, if I did not try and make sure she was safe, then I would be the worst boyfriend in the entire world." After Davis said that, he was holding up both of his hands, thinking there was no need to say any more to this now.

"I guess that something like this makes sense. I just don't know how to be feeling right now. It all feels a bit strange to be getting used to. But I guess that it does not matter all that much what I am going to say. You were the one that had to deal with her leaving, and stuff. But how long ago did something like this happen?" I asked, just feeling like this was going to be a starting point. You know, from what I would always be seeing from the movies and stuff.

"It was about a week or so ago. I told them about this, the police I mean, and when it happened and I told them, it seemed like they did not care. For the first several days, nobody seemed to be giving a shit, and nobody gave a shit at all. But then after a while, I was just totally fucking over it, and I decided that I needed them to be taking this more seriously. So I told them that I needed them to really look into this, and just sort of get this over with." After Davis was telling me this, I was sort of unsure of what the fucking hell I was even going to want to say to him, if it was going to matter what he was going to wish to say.

"The police do not seem to care much for things that they do not have to deal with. Things that they consider to be a low priority assignment. I mean, I don't exactly get it at all, but I guess that it is not all that big of a deal what I say now. All I need to know if how I am going to help you find her. What was the last thing that you guys were talking about and stuff?" I asked, and then after I had asked Davis this question, he looked right down at me, just sort of wanting to know what he would be tell me now.

"The last thing we talked about was a really long discussion on our safety here. She was always telling me that she wanted to get out of here. To not have any problems occur to her. She was always telling me about how there was something here that just scared her so much that she wanted to be getting out of here forever. I mean, I did not know what it would be like to be her, but I guess that I sort of understood what she had meant. I mean, if I was like her, I would be able to understand what she was coming from." After Davis was telling me all of this, he was looking like he wanted to see what my reaction would be now. If I was going to accuse him of being at fault here or something like this.

"Did you want to try and help her out? Getting out of here I mean. I feel like this might have been the most important thing you could have been able to do. If you feel like you could have been able to help her, then it might have been worth the try right now." I said, and then Davis was looking at me. He was pulling out something, and he was placing it on the counter. I was looking at it, and was seeing that it was some beer. He was taking off the cap, and he was looking like he was actually fucking pissed at the way that I was treating this situation. Like he did not know how hard this was going to be.

"I did try to help her out. I was giving her some advice on how to move out of here. I did not think that it was going to be all that big of a deal. But when she was telling me that she did not want to do that. No matter how much this was a problem to her, and no matter how much she was scared, she did not want to leave Wayside. I mean, I was annoyed with the way that she was treating me right now. But at the same time, I was seeing her looking like she simply loved this place too much. But I was scared of what could happen to her if she stayed. I mean, how could I not?" Davis asked, and I was seeing him looking like he did not get it at all. Like he did not get why people would stay in danger or anything.

"If she did not want to leave, then maybe that meant that there was something that she was feeling like she could have done. I think that maybe you should try and look into that a bit more. Seeing if she was going to actually come and solve something. Like what is happening to all these people here. If that is the case, then she was a fucking hero for at least trying to make something work. And I would be so proud of her." Davis said, and I was seeing him looking like he was trying to contain how happy he was to think about her advancements to make things right.

There was a knock on the door, and then Davis was looking right at me, and I was seeing that he was totally serious about the fact that I was needing to be as quiet as possible on this whole thing, and that if I made a scene, then things were just going to be getting so much fucking worse. "Just stay inside my main bedroom or something. It will be over with in a few minutes. This will be all good and stuff." Davis told me, and then after he was saying that to me, I saw him looking a bit annoyed with this whole thing, but feeling like we had a chance to finally pull things together, and it would be fine.

I hid inside, and then Davis answered the door, and then he was seeing the police officer who he had been talking with earlier looking right at me, just trying to see what I would even say to him in the first place. "Hey, I was wanting to tell you some information relating to the case of Victoria." The officer told Davis, and he was feeling like Davis was going to fucking scream in excitement. But then Davis just decided to let the officer inside.

"What have you found out just now?" Davis asked, and he was starting to sound a bit more normal and he was hoping that when he would do this, everything was going to be fine. "I mean, any thing is going to help. Even if it is something as terrible as her dying." Davis was sounding like he did not even want to consider something like that, but he was willing to just be honest for the sake of awesomeness. The officer was looking at Davis, as if thinking that at least he was being nice so far.

"Don't worry about her dying or anything like that. But we did find something that you may find to be very important. You should come with us, and we can show you." The officer told Davis, and when he was saying this, for the first time, it was actually sounding like he was concerned for the case, and not just brushing it off as some annoying little case that was being through right at him and stuff.

"Just give me a couple of minutes, and I will be fine. I just need to grab some things that I might need." Davis said, and he was hating looking down at the ground, and he was wanting to make it sound like there was nothing going on that was bothering him and stuff. But at the same time, he was thinking that the police officer just needed to let him have this. Then he went right into the room I was hiding in, which I was just doing my best not to make a single fucking sound. To not get caught by the police or anything like that.

Once he was looking at me, Davis was taking a long and deep breath, as if he was feeling like he was just needing to be ready for what was going to be coming along now. He was scared, but he was thinking that as long as I worked with him, and I did not fight him for once, then everything was going to be all fine and stuff. "T.K., I need you to stay behind us. You can come along, and you can even talk to me when it is all over, but I need you to not make a fucking scene. Just stay behind me and stuff. Don't make a scene. Maybe stay behind and watch the car for a minute or two, and then when it is totally gone, then come out the window and follow from a distance." After Davis had told me this, I was seeing him looking like this was all that really mattered.

"Alright, just don't let anything get too deep. If this is starting to look like it might get you in danger, I feel like I need to come on and try to help out as much as I fucking could." I said, and then after I had told him this, he was looking like he was tired of this shit. Like he just could not take this argument at all. Like I was wiling to throw things on the line for no good reason.

"To be honest, I am tired of this shit. I can't believe that you guys are trying to argue with me on this. I think that if you get in trouble, get caught, then it is all going to be my fault. I just don't really fucking know how I feel right now. But to be honest, I do not think I could be able to forgive myself for something like this and stuff." Davis was telling me, as if feeling like he was finally being responsible for something in his life, which was giving him many mixed feelings and stuff.

"I will be taking the blame if something were to be happening to me. I would not let you guys take the blame on something that I will not be able to prevent and stuff." I said, and then after I was telling Davis this, he was thinking that there was no real reason to be fighting with me on this. He was holding his hand together, and then he was just going to his drawer to get something for himself that he could use.

Davis was pulling a gun, and he was putting it inside of his pocket. Then with that he was holding up a finger of his. "You know, in case I fucking need it. I don't want to not have something I can use to defend myself. Hopefully I don't need it through." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was actually smart for once, and then he went out of the room, letting me stand there like a fucking idiot.

Once Davis was out of the room, he was looking right at a officer, who was just sitting down on a chair, seeming to not give much of a shit at all, and then after he was seeing Davis looking right at him, he was standing up, feeling like he was sort of just ready to go out and get this shit over with. In a way, he was sort of looking like he did not even want to find a way to argue with me all that much, but did not really want to make things any worse.

I was seeing them getting right inside of the car, and I was just watching for several moments, hoping that nothing was going to be coming right out of this. Then I was seeing the officer starting his car up, and driving off a bit, just to make me feel alone for a bit, and I was wondering what I was going to do now. I waited for about ten seconds, just to let them actually get a real start on me.

After those several seconds were gone, I was opening up the car, and then I was starting to open up the window, and I was slowly getting myself out, just to sort of follow him for a but. And then I was starting to close the window, feeling more and more insecure for what was even happening next. I was telling myself that this whole thing with Victoria was going to possibly break Davis, and I would feel like the only thing to do for him would be to simply respect what was going on, and not to make him feel even more insecure on what he was fucking doing at all.

Then when I was starting to walk off, I was getting more and more scared. I was getting scared of what I would do if the police would find me. Scared of what had happened to Victoria, and scared of what Davis was going to be doing when we were done. I was scared of everything that was going to be going down, and there was no better way to put it. I hated myself for being stupid enough to actually think that something like this was a good idea in the first place.

Eventually, after about ten minutes or so of walking, there was a area that the car was parking at. I looked and saw the car near something like a well. I instantly feared and dreaded what I was going to be seeing, and I knew that this was going to be when shit was truly going to be hitting the fan. I was already prepared for Davis to start feeling like he was broken on what was ahead of him. I did not know if it was going to be this bad though.

I was standing back, and I was seeing that there was Davis coming out of the car, and I was guessing that what he was dealing with right now must have been over the top afraid and stuff. I was just thinking that I needed to stay back for a while, just to see what was on around me at all. I was seeing the officer just looking like there was a small amount of pity that he had been feeling at the back of his mind, not wanting to say anything at this rate.

Before long, there was Davis and the officer who was right at the well, and the officer was pulling up something from the bottom. Well, not the officer that was with Davis I should say. Just a different officer who had been there long enough to make sure that the one with Davis would come along and show him what they had found. I was telling myself that I needed to stay behind for a bit, just to act like everything was going to be all fine, and like none of this would even be bothering me in the first place.

Eventually, when the officer was out of the well, he was showing Davis what they had found. It was something like a purse, and then there was a wallet in the purse, and then when the wallet had been taken out, the officer gave it to Davis, and he was looking at the identification card that was in there. After he had looked at it for a couple of seconds, he was looking right at the officer just sort of trying to find something that he was going to use to help him along.

"That is Victoria. I did not think that there was going to be her purse inside of a well." Davis said, and then he was looking down, sort of just wanting to see if there was something he would use to keep him going. But then the other officer was just feeling like they could just say something to him in order to get him to calm down a bit more, to not make him feel like he was about to be lied to, and disregarded for something that was not even his fault. Something that he had nothing to do with, but was forced to face the responsibilities for in the future.

"We found a small amount of blood on the side of the well. We have a feeling that maybe there was a fight that had taken place here. Probably somebody defending themselves in order to make sure that there was nothing that could hurt them. I have a feeling that somebody may have tried to take Victoria, and she put up a fight, trying to do something to not get killed. But in the end, she was eventually over come." The officer said, and then Davis rolled his eyes, knowing that this would not help him at all, and that these people just needed to go away from him to let him do his job finding his girlfriend.

"Thank you for the information. That is all that I need right now. See you guys in a bit. Please continue to look into this as much as it is convenient for you to. I will do whatever I can in order to keep her safe, as her boyfriend. I hope that you are able to understand." Davis told the officer, and then after he had said that to the cops, he was starting to head off, after he took the purse and then he had the wallet. He did not even give a single fuck what the people around him were going to say. He was on his own, and he was doing things his own way.

He was looking right at me, and then he decided that he was going to just try to find a way to discourse with me in a way that was going to actually find a way to drag me into this. "So you know everything that has happened so far? You know what I am going to be doing now. In order to do what I feel like I have to." After Davis said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what the hell I could even do to make any real difference.

"I have a feeling that you are going to be going out to do things that you should not even dream to do. You know, looking for her when you should be letting the cops do it." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him nodding, as if he was finally getting through to me on his bullshit and stuff.

"You know, I think that you are probably more aligned to me than you ever think that you are. So I think that maybe we should just see what we can do to make it all work. I think that trying to fight with me on this is not going to help anybody else out." Davis was saying, and then after he had said that, I was well aware of the fact that he was totally right, and that he was just trying to be as casual about this as possible. To make it not at all even a point of discussion to get him out of this.

"If you want out of here, and not to bother with this, then you can do whatever the hell you want. But do not for any second think that I am not going to do this just because of you." Eventually, he was thinking that he had put enough of a footing on this to where he was feeling like any form of a debate on this was just going to be more pointless than anything else in general.

"I guess that I sort of dragged myself into this. You know, with the fact that I started to become a investigator on the whole ordeal. So in a way, I guess I might have deserved this shit from the start. Even if I sort of hate my life right now. But you know what, I would rather put myself in danger than deal with your girlfriend never being able to return anywhere again. So I will not really argue with you too much." I said, and then after I had said that, I saw him looking like we might as well just get started on this, just to sort of be done with it.

We were starting to walk off, and then Davis was feeling like he needed to ask me the most important question to this whole affair, thinking that if he did not ask me on any of this, then he was just going to be setting myself up for some level of care. "What are you going to be doing? Shouldn't you be at the camp right now? I mean, that is a pretty big deal." The man was telling me, and I did not really care what he was going to be telling me at this rate. I was thinking that I just had to be totally real with everything that was going on. I wanted him to just leave me alone on something that I did not care much for.

"I don't care what they say. I mean, if they knew the truth of what I was doing here, then they might be telling me that this whole thing is worth it. I think that they are just jealous of the fact that I am going to be going out and actually doing something of value." I said, and then I was seeing Davis sort of looking like he was just wanting to right with me. But he knew what he was like back in the day, and decided to just not make a deal out of it.

"I just think that when they know what is going on, they might be willing to forgive you. But they might be hating me. They might be hating everything that I have done. Accusing me of doing shit that I should have never done before. Accusing me of getting a twelve year old in danger, and then I will be considered the fucking monster." Davis was telling me, as if thinking that this was the one thing that would make him a villain for no reason.

"I don't care. I mean, they will just have to deal with that stuff ahead of time. Everything is going to be all fine. People are just going to see that I have done something good for once, and that is all that I can really be hoping for in the long run." I said, and then I was just sort of done debating this. I did not want to keep going, so I would not do it. I had made my mind, no matter what would come of it now.

As we had walked around for a whole longer, I was sort of wondering what the fucking hell we were even going to actually do to make things a bit different for us all. I was telling myself that when I was going to finally see how Davis would find Victoria, then I would be saying that this was worth it. But as we had been walking along, Davis turned around, to look right at me, and he was revealing something that I did not think I would ever be ready for, no matter the situation.

"I think that I have an idea on what I am supposed to be doing. I think that I have a clue on the direction that Victoria has gone, and while I am not going to be fighting you on coming with me, I am going to have to insist that you do not do anything crazy. That you just let me be doing the main job from this point forward." Davis was telling me, and then I was seeing him looking at me, as if wondering how I was going to react to him right now.

"What is going on?" I asked, and I was finally feeling like I was going to have to take his warning with a fucking gallon of seriousness, and he was looking like he was ready to just tell me a bunch of things that he did not know if I was ever going to be ready for, but he was almost thinking that it would not even matter what I was going to say. Just because he felt like I was already aware of how to be taking things now.

"Have you ever heard of the case of Jeffrey Woods?" Davis asked me, and he was wanting to see what I would say. I was then thinking about it quite a bit. I vaguely remember something like this being a massive case from several years ago, but I did not think of anything too much beyond that. But I decided that I would tell him the truth.

"Well, I do know something about this guy going on a killing streak or something like that in the town. Killed several people a few years ago, and from what I heard, every year he returns and kills another few. Almost always during the summer..." I said, and as I was saying that, I had finally realized the undertones of what I had just said. I was looking right at Davis, the horror and confusion of what he was saying slowly getting to me. I mean, he was probably right, but I just did not really have any clue of what was going to go down in the first place. "You really do not think that these cases are connected? I mean, surely it has to be a really bad tie in, that must not be really connected."

"Yeah, you are exactly right about your story of Jeff. And you are also right. Having the two of them being connected is strange, and I would have never guessed that it was going to be brought up. However, that being said, I have a terrible feeling that maybe this Jeff guy has come back for his yearly round, and he may have found Victoria, and made a terrible assumption on her, and that is what is going to be possibly getting her killed and stuff. I mean, I have a feeling like we just need to find her. There is no stalling that we are going to get, and none of this would matter." After Davis was saying this to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to not freak out any more.

"I mean, maybe she has a family who is connected with her that can be related to the names that Jeff has. I mean, from what I remember, don't the names have some connection? All the ones that Jeff has been taking down I mean." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was just not too sure of what to be saying now. He was feeling like there was a small level of truth to this, but he was unsure of how it could fully connect.

"I think that you should go to where Victoria lived. I mean, even if her parents might not like you or anything, I think that they would be willing to put side their feelings towards you for the time being to just tell you something that can help the two of you. Since you guys do have one thing in common, and that is wanting to help Victoria because of your common respect and love for her." I was telling Davis, and he was looking down, as if feeling like maybe there was something to keep it together.

"Thankfully it is just her mother who lives there, and I think that you might be right. I mean, she has made less than zero attempts to hide the fact that she is not a huge fan of me. But like you said, I think for the sake of Victoria, she will be willing to put aside that and tell me anything that I might need to know. And if I can find her, she will finally be open to me, and will be willing to tell me the truth of what is going on." Davis said, and then after he had said that to me, I was nodding, finally feeling like it was all coming together a bit more.

"Well, I think there is no point in wasting any more time. We might as well just see what we can do to make this whole thing work." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was nodding at me, and he was feeling like we were finally going to just be getting something working. That we were not going to be doing any fucking bullshit in the world. So with that, the two of us were heading out, just ready for whatever we were needing to do now.

We were heading along, and as Davis was heading on towards that house, Davis was just sort of looking like he was wanting to say something else. "Hey T.K., I know that you have been telling me over and over again your intentions, and I have told you many times not to do this. But in all honesty, I am glad that you are at my side right now. It is nice to have somebody who supports me on the things that I have been dealing with. Knowing that I am finally able to just see somebody actually taking me seriously." Davis was saying, and I was seeing him just looking like he was wanting to say more, but figured that it was good enough to leave it at that statement.

"I just know that there is no reason for me to not be helping you out. So that is the main reason that I am doing this. I mean, when I first heard a case of somebody going missing here, and I knew that there was a chance to save them, I knew that it was something that I had to at least try and put together." I said, and then after I was telling him that, he was looking like he was just glad to know that at least one person in this city had a level of compassion.

"I wish that most people were able to have the level of decency that you did. I mean, you are literally giving yourself up in order to actually keep somebody safe and stuff. When there is literally no pay off you will be getting out of this. I think that there is something to really fucking say to that. In my own personal opinion that is." Davis was saying, sort of just wondering what he was going to say now to make any real difference in my own feeling.

Eventually we had reached the front door of Victoria's house, and I knew what I was going to be doing would be putting things a bit stranger for my entire life. He walked right up to the door, and then he knocked on the door, and then after that, there was several seconds of waiting. When there was a answer, that was when a older woman was looking right at us.

"What are you doing here?" The mother asked, and she was not even pretending to have any pleasant opinions of this. She wanted me gone, and that was virtually all that there was to this whole thing. She was wanting Davis to just get right to the point, and he was going to deliver on that to make her not hate him.

"Look, I know that to say we are not on good standings would be the understatement of the damn century. I know you don't like me, and I sure as hell don't like you. But if we are going to find Victoria, we need to combine everything that we have, put aside our opinions of each other, and actually just work to see what we can do to bring her back home. So what do you say? Just for the sake of finding her, want to at least pretend to get along?" Davis asked, and the longer he was looking at her, and he was seeing her sort of thinking about what he was saying, she decided that perhaps something like this was a good statement. She was feeling like she had to let Davis have his moment of glory in the end.

She was looking, and despite her deeply embedded dislike towards the man, she was aware that he was right on something here. She was seeing the wiring in her mind slowly adapting to this whole thing, and she was finally looking like she was aware of my point, and was slowly looking like she did not want to fight with Davis. "Fine. you are right. I mean, if there is one thing I always knew about you, it is that you do care about Victoria in your own messed up way. And that you truly do not want something to be happening to her." She said to Davis, and then she let us both inside of the house.

"Look, I think we should just jump right to the point. I think that there might be a clue on finding her that I did not really much think about earlier, but I think that we should pay attention to it. That is the fact that there is that Jeffrey Woods guy who is coming out every summer since like four or five years ago, and I think that maybe he is out again on his yearly round up. I feel like we need to find out if he had take her for some reason." Davis said, and then after he was telling her that, she looked at him, almost unconvinced, but she knew there was some level of validity to his theory.

"Look, I know it is crazy, and we actually do agree on this one. But we need to find something that connects her with what is going on here, and I think that figuring out what is happening in this town is going to do just that. Now I know that if you were to tell me anything, you might fear I would let the information be know. But please, tell me the truth on this. Was her father related to any big thing going on in this town." Davis said, and then he was looking at the woman who he had worked against for so long starting to show her regret, show the look of pain and despair on her eyes.

"I hate to tell people this, but you are right. You are totally right in what you are saying right now. But I just don't like to talk about my love life back in the day. It just hurts too much to think about. You know, thinking about what I had missed out on, and what I should have been going for." She said, and then looked right at Davis and I. I felt like a person who had walked right into a rough situation, and unable to make any real difference.

"He was a man who was involved in a lot of corporate deals, and to my knowledge Jeff's father had been to. So there could be something going on there. Maybe Jeff's father made some deals with Victoria's father, and that was able to sort of be involved in them living here." After she had said that to us, I was sort of just unsure of what was even going to be happening now.

"What type of deals did you think that he was placing in? I mean, I know that this town has a loot of discreet bullshit that does not really ever explain anything to us. But for now, I am tired of it. Tell me the truth, and what is going on here." Davis had told her, and when he was saying this, he was seeing her looking more and more like she was thinking that we were old enough.

"I mean, I am a full grown man. I deserve to know what the fuck is going on at this fucking town." After he was saying that to her, she was looking right at him, as if thinking that there was a small level of validity to what he was saying. Even if she did not like him, it was his right as an adult to know the truth. No matter how brutal the cost of that was going to be.

"Fine, you do have an point. Are you sure though that your friend right now is ready for such a thing." She was responding, looking right at me, and deciding that she was going to finally take note of the fact that I had actually existed for the first time in this entire conversation. But then I was thinking that for once, I was finally going to stand up and just fend for myself for once.

"Yeah, I am ready for this. I was dragging myself into this whole thing in the first place. So I guess that if anything, this is something I have kind of deserved." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what I was going to be getting out of them. They were looking like they just wanted to see me say more. But she was also thinking that chances were very high that if she did not tell me, somebody else was going to tell me in the first place. So it might be good to just get it over with for once.

"Alright, well the man was dealing with business offers to be sending people here with larger money. But I think that you already know that. I mean, how could you not know that when it has been literally the grounding foundation for this entire fucking town. But there are things to this that the general person will not understand, and I think that this is the part that I need to let you guys know on for the sake of your investigation." She had said, taking a long deep on what was happening, just feeling like she was finally starting to accept this conversation going on now. She was finally looking like she was ready to be talking about some terrible truth in a way she was not wanting to quite do yet.

"I think that the next important thing to discuss is the fact that when there is a child in this town that is being born, and there is a very rapid adoption that is being brought up, there is something actually dragging this whole thing together. You might not get it, but there are business dealings here. The children are being sold to people for the sake of money. Not exactly sent to adoption on the normal method." She was admitting, and despite the fact that what she was saying had made some sense, I did not really think that I was going to be ready for what they were actually telling me now.

"What is the reason behind this? I mean, there are a lot of children being born here, and some of them are kept here. So of course some of them would be adopted. I mean, this is just a general town with regular things going on. But what do you mean that they are just sold?" I asked, and I was seeing her looking right at me. Knowing full well I was nowhere near old enough to learn the truth on this.

"Here is the thing about what is going on right now. We do it to have some financial backing to the town. We know that it is the right choice. It may not be the best choice, or the moral choice. But it is certainly the right choice, and I think that you probably know what I am meaning here." She had said, and I was seeing her looking like she would dare for Davis or I to argue with her on this claim.

"But there is a more important thing going on here. Something that you actually could use to help you out right now. Something that will actually put you on the right track to knowing what to look for." She said, and after a long breath, and a even longer time thinking about it, as if she did not want anybody to know, she made peace with people knowing, and decided to tell the truth. "Victoria and Whitney were not legitimate children in the sense that they were not actually meant to be born."

"What do you mean? What happened that caused this to happen?" Davis sounded instantly pissed, and he was sounding like he was wishing to just cut the bullshit for once in this whole relationship that the two of them had. He had wished that for once, she treated him like a fucking person, and told him what he knew that he needed to know, and not what she was thinking he needed to know. Because neither one of those two things were very connected, and he felt like there was a certain respect that was heavily lacking with them from day one.

"I had no choice. I thought that it was going to help the town. I did not think that I was ever going to be growing attached to the the way that I did. I thought that they were just going to be a part of the puzzle to making this town great again." She told Davis, and then he was holding his mouth down, as if unsure of what the hell he would even say to her at this point. He felt like she had violated him in a certain regard that he did not feel possible.

"What do you mean? Just tell me what you did that led to them being born? Why are they not legitimate?" I had never seen him lose this much temper over some simple comments that she had made. I mean, I never seen him lose his temper over anything at all. But then the anger was starting to look like it was subsiding for a moment, as he started to ask a more calm by comparison question. As if this was the truly important one and he had no desire to mess it up. "Tell me the truth... Do you love them?"

She looked right at Davis, as if feeling like she was finally seeing something in him that she would have never even thought was there even ten minutes ago. A level of calm compassion. A level of willingness to talk about things he would not like, but for the sake of being able to truly help her out.

"I do love them. I just was not ready to be a mother. I mean, when Jenny was born, I was feeling like it was a task that I was not ready for. I never thought that I could raise a child at all. Then over the first several years, I started to lose it. I started to lose the fear, and I was starting to see her for what she was. A chance to truly let me be a good woman. Then I was offered a chance to have a way to help this town. To help give it some money. I did not think that it would be all that big of a deal. So I clearly said yes to the issue, and part of the equation was to have another child. Which I think you can see where this is going to go. Two daughters, twins, named Whitney and Victoria. I hope that you understand that I thought I had no choice. And I think that may have something to tie this whole thing together." She said, and Davis was looking at the door, unable to believe in any of this, thinking that she surely would have been the one who would have had the moral compass on him.

"I hope that you are able to forgive yourself. If what you are saying is true, then I guess that no amount of love and care in the world can ever truly wash out mistakes that are being made in the past and stuff." Davis said, and then after he had said that to Victoria's mother, I was trying to find something to say. But I was so busy watching an argument that I could not be sure what to do right now. It felt impossible to have anything to say.

"Davis, before you go, I just wanted you to know two small things. First is that I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive myself on what is going on. But I hope that you can forgive me. I hope that you can forgive what we all adults in this town will have to do, and maybe even one day, you will understand the true meaning of sacrifice yourself. But there was something else. A third thing that I should say." She said, and Davis looked right at her, trying to see if she was trying to piss him off further, or if she was being helpful for once in her life.

"What is it that you want to tell me? That I am a failure, and I am somebody who is just ruining everything? I mean, if the answer if true, then just get it over with and do your shit talking now. Because quite frankly, I am over it." He said, and then she was holding up her hand, as if to signify that she was not going to be going that way, despite his original beliefs.

"I was actually wanting to tell you the opposite. I was wanting to say that I was sorry. Sorry for the way that I have treated you in the past. I guess that I was jealous of somebody, especially a renegade, who cared for my daughters and would fight for them. I was scared you would take them away and show somebody what it is like to care without fear. I should have treated you better. You are not a bad man. I mean, I still don't know if we're allies, but I need to release that feeling of contempt for a person who I know is actually trying their best." She said, and then Davis was looking down, trying to say something, hoping to say something, but was having a very hard time to be doing such a thing here.

"I just hope that in enough time, the anger I am feeling right now can be forgotten, and I will be able to talk to you that way." After Davis had said that, she was looking down, wondering when and if Davis was ever going to be more open to her. If and when the two of them were ever going to see that they were not so different after all. She did not know if such a thing was even possible in the first place. But she wanted to try.

"Come T.K. Sorry that you had to witness everything that just happened. Kind of hard to believe when you know that everything your town stood for is on a basis of a bunch of secrets." Davis said, and then we were slowly getting out of the house, and I was sort of just wanting to keep everything to myself, but as we were out, Davis decided he would want to speak on it more.

"Do you think that you might have any idea of what is going on here and stuff? I mean, I am not trying to force you into things that you might not be ready for, but in all honesty, I just feel like I need to have some fucking clue where to go." Davis was telling me, and then I was seeing him just sort of wanting to make some more things come together.

"I don't know if anybody else I know has any idea. But at the same time, do you think that maybe you can find out something related to know Jeffrey Woods works. I think that this is going to be fine." I said, and despite the strangeness of what was going on, I just was trying to sort of find a way to keep it all down to one level of coolness and consistency.

"Yeah, maybe I can find some things. Maybe if I have the balls to try and speak to the mayor or something, he might be willing to talk with me. He might be willing to finally tell me something that can get me on the right path. But I don't really know. Just please, I think it might be time that we try to keep you safe. You are in on this pretty deep, and I am scared of if your parents will find out what I have been doing, and what will happen to me then." He said, sounding like he was feeling like this was a totally valid concern, and I suppose that I got it. I just did not really know.

"Davis, do you think that you can handle this on your own? I mean, in all honesty, do you really feel like everything is going to be fine? Or are you just telling yourself that because you feel like you have to sound like you are contained?" I asked, and I did not want him to be lying to me. I wanted the truth, no matter how much it was going to make him look weak. I would rather him look weak than him be a liar.

"I will try to handle this on my own. I will take you out to something to eat, and then we are going right back to the fucking camp. I mean, you do not deserve something like this, and I dragged you into something that you should have never gotten into." The man was telling me, and I was seeing Davis looking like he was just wanting to see what was going to fucking happen at this point. I just felt like we were going to have to find a way through this all.

"It looks like I will not be able to convince you out of this, so I am not even going to try. I know what it is like to try and tell an adult that I know what I want to do." I said, and then he was looking at me, and then he was looking almost as if my determination was something that he would actually pity at least a little bit.

"T.K., I like you, and that is the main reason I want to protect you. If you were somebody I did not care much for, then I would let you come along, and I would not give a single fuck what people would be saying around me. I would just take it, and act like this was something I was ready for." But this is something that I will never be ready for, no matter how much I may want to pretend." Davis said, as if his opening up to me on that was the one thing he felt like he could do to make me get it. "I just wish to make sure that the people that I am able to protect are able to be protected." When he was done saying that, I was feeling like I just needed to know something. Maybe it would finally give me some context of what was bothering him here so much.

"Be honest with me, and don't tell me it is not my business, but what is bothering you so much? What makes you feel like you need to try and find something so damn hard? Why do you need to protect somebody with all your heart and soul?" I asked, and then he was thinking about what it would be like if he was honest with me for once in his whole life.

"It is because of the fact that I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger. It was ten years ago, and I was a head strong sixteen year old who thought that I owed the world everything I ever had. I tried too hard to be a hero, and I failed. Some people died. That is all that you need to know. I have never forgiven myself in over ten years. Victoria is the first one who did. That is all that I can tell without having it break me beyond repair." He said, deciding that the brutal honesty was the only thing that can keep him together here, and I was seeing him actually looking like he wanted to cry.

We eventually reached a low down pizza place, and it was mainly because it was one of the few places Davis could afford with a terrible pay check. As we were sitting down, I was looking at him, trying to find a way to make him feel better. "You will find Victoria. If there is anybody I believe when I hear them trying to make things right, it is you. I believe in you when you say that you want to help those around you out." I said, and then I was seeing him just looking like he had wanted to believe in me. But at the same time, doing such a thing was to require him to feel like he was not a terrible person.

"I appreciate the fact that you are reaching out to me. But until I can find a clue on how to find Victoria, I do not know if I will ever be able to truly put it behind me. I mean, I am not a great man by any means, but I like to think that I am not a totally awful one." Davis said, as if thinking that such a concept was hard for even him to try and believe.

"This proves that you are not a bad person. I mean, look at the way that you are trying to be responsible. You seem like you know what you need to try and do. I think that something like this could be why Victoria might have liked you." I said, and the person who was to take our order showed up, and we just placed in a real short one, and she was getting back to her making of the meal we placed in.

"I think that maybe if I look into something, I can try and find it if I am taking it very seriously. Just give me a moment, and I will see if it can work." He was saying, and then he was pulling something out of the purse. He was just looking around, knowing that he made a big mistake by taking that from the officer, but he did not give a fuck.

He was looking around for a couple of minutes, and then as he looked, he was eventually finding something that he did not expect. He was shocked at this, and he decided that he would give me a look. That way he was feeling like I could be able to join in on this, and act like I could actually be able to help out. I was interested in this revelation, so I figured I would just wait to see what it actually was.

"It's a note left for me. I don't know why she would randomly have one or something like that. Seems a bit random. I guess I might as well read it and see what the hell this thing is offering me." Davis said, taking out a cigarette, and started to smoke it. As he was starting to smoke it a bit, he was feeling like he just had to be as patient as possible and not be wanting to jump out and do something to curb stomp who had sent him this.

"Hello Davis, I know that you are in a relationship with this young woman, and I think that maybe we can come up with something that will be able to help us out. I do not want your girlfriend, but I also do not want the corruption and the mess of this town to continue any longer. If you want to get Victoria back, I hope that you will be willing to join me on my campaign against this city. First thing you will see is a camera in the purse. Watch the camera recording, and you will know what I will be wanting you to do next, and we will finally start to have a discussion point that can keep us going. From the man you probably hate, along with the rest of this town, Jeffrey Woods." The note said, and Davis was looking at me, as he was holding a white camera tightly, unsure of what he was going to say now.

The pizza was brought down, and we started to eat it for a bit. "Hey Davis, are you going to watch that? Are you going to try and find out the main answer to what the fuck is going on here?" I just wanted to see if he was actually going to take the bait, or if he would rather do this on his own than to follow the mind of a insane man in his eyes. A totally fucking insane man.

"I have to. I mean, he got me in a corner. A corner I fucking hate, but he managed to nonetheless. If I want Victoria back, and I truly do, I have to do this. It is my only option. I just hope that I can be ready for this right away." He said, and the he was looking at me, and then he was hating what he was going to say.

"You might as well stay along until this is done. However, once Victoria is found, you are going back to the camp, and maybe for your own safety, I think it might be best if we never see each other again." Davis was truly meaning what he had said, and I knew it was going to be hard for me to do it, but I knew that I needed to try for his own safety and his own sake. So I reluctantly nodded in understanding.

About ten minutes later, we ended up leaving the pizza shop, and we were sitting down on a bench that was several feet away. To get people to not be seeing what we were doing, since that was just going to be making things so much worse than just simply going along and not making any real issue of this. "We might as well get started on this right away. I really hope that this Jeff guy gives away something of his information, and then I can come in and try to beat his ass down, since I know that if anybody deserves it, then it is that fucking asshole." He was saying, and he was starting up his camera, wanting to get it over with.

The tape was showing Victoria near something that looked like a set of water falls. This was making Davis get a little bit more interested, unsure of what he was looking at, and unsure if this was actually going to help him have any clue what the hell he was supposed to be doing. After all, seeing a random water fall when he was unsure when he ever saw one was a bit strange.

She only had swimming gear on, and she was looking right at the camera with a large smile on her face. "Hey Davis, I was thinking that maybe I should show you some of my new tricks that I had learned lately. Sorry that you were not here to witness them. That is kind of sad honestly." She said, and I was seeing that there was a sort of mildly pouting face, as if she was trying to take a fun situation and pretend like it was really breaking her. But then she was thinking that she would just get right to her fun moment. "No more point in delaying though. I will do the jump."

Victoria was running right to the edge of the rock, and then she jumped down the fall, and she was screaming in delight as she was going down. As we had been watching, Davis was looking like he had almost forgotten the situation, and was happy to see her so excited about this jump she had performed. As he was looking like he was just trying to get back to a serious mode, I was seeing the camera moving towards the edge, and Victoria was yelling right up to the camera, clearly hoping we would hear it.

"This is my new friend. He has been telling me about some of the great places in town. And oh man, he is not lying at all when he talks about this." After she had said that to us, I was seeing her holding her arms up, ready to just swim around a bit, to have some fun with this. "I should be coming back up. You know, so that way we can have some more fun."

A couple of seconds later, we were seeing a white house, and after looking around the surrounding area for a bit, I was feeling like perhaps we knew where this white house was. Even Davis was looking like he had started to piece it all together, knowing what he was supposed to be looking right out for. Since he had felt like he had a starting point to look into, and when inside of the house, it was showing Victoria sitting down for a bit. It was a darker house, without any lights on, and looked like it had not been entered in a long time, but she did not look like she was in any real danger from her face.

"What are you planning on doing now? You know, since you are back here, and you seem to have a pretty serious plan and goal out of this?" She was asking the man in the camera, and she was sounding like she was actually a bit worried about what she was asking, like this was something that she did not want to discuss, and that talking about it was almost breaking her heart to even fucking ponder and stuff. The man was giving off a slight grumble trying to find the proper words to make it seem like it would work out in the long run.

"I do what is needed. I do what the town needs for me to do. No matter what people may be wanting from me. If people feel like I have done something wrong, for trying to fight for my town, then they do not realize how much I am appalled by the way this place has treated us." The voice said, and then Victoria was wondering what she was going to say now. She was sort of wanting to find something that she felt like was actually going to contribute to the discussion, and not just make her feel like she was sort of speaking for the sake of speaking.

"Do you think that maybe there is something that actually is bringing everything with Jeff together? I mean, surely there must be some motivation. I mean, it's a year thing to see that guy come out, and the police have failed to get him, and I am just scared of what he will do this time. But at the same time, I am also very interested to know if there is a overall point he is trying to accomplish." As she was saying this, she was just sort of thinking about what she had said, and she was unable to believe that she was indulging the idea that a mass serial killer had a point.

"The man knows that doing this is the best thing in this town. That there have been too many lies spread around, and that there is something that he wants to do to actually help out. I think that maybe there is something that is actually almost noble about what he is trying to accomplish." The guy was saying, and the camera cut off there, as if bringing us to yet another new point. And Davis was just sort of watching, to see what was to come up next.

Victoria was sitting down on a chair, and she was near a small park. One that looked like it had been not used for a few hours, and that she was feeling like she was going to be fine now. "I think that I should try and see what Jeff is trying to accomplish. I just feel like there is something going on here, and that he must have some good intentions." She was insisting, and then she was saying something else that neither Davis or I were ready for.

"I mean, there are people in this town following me. They are clearly planning on taking me. I want to tell Davis, but I am too scared to. He might not believe me, or have the time to help out, considering how much time he has to spend on military training and everything. He is always focused on not getting himself killed. I mean, I appreciate his grit, but it does leave me alone a lot of the time." Then with that, she was thinking of something more that she could say.

"If I am still around and fine on the next day he has off, and we can talk together, I will tell him everything, and see what he might be saying, and see if he will be able to help. Hopefully he will know how to help. But until then, I guess that talking with you is the best that I can do. It is something that can take my mind off of the issues that are going on here." She was saying, and then she was going to say one final thing before the recording cut off.

"If you truly are trying to help this town out, if there is a method to your madness, then thank you Jeffrey Woods. Thank you for at least trying and do something about a place that is starting to scare me more and more by the day." She said, and then after she had said that to the camera, she was going to say something to Davis. "If you find this Davis, go to the White House, and look there. There can be some hints there. Just do what you can."

After that, the recording ended, and I was seeing Davis looking right at me, as if trying to sort of find something that he was even going to try and say that would be able to describe the feeling that he was even having. "We need to get there as fast as we can. I don't know if she is alive or not, and if she is not, we need to at least finally out this away and know the truth. If she is, then maybe we can finally make something work." Davis said, and I nodded in agreement, finally feeling like we had a start now.

As we had been walking along in that direction, I was seeing Davis looking like there was a slight look of anger on his face. Like he was truly just wanting to see how the hell he was going to pull any of this together in the first place. He had felt like when the two of us were finally on the path to making something work, then the two of us were going to possibly be a good team. "I mean, I am going to support whatever you are able to accomplish. Considering how much of a rough path we have ahead of us, I want to see if this can work out in our favor." Davis was saying, and then after he had told me this, he was looking like there was something he was always able to respect with me.

"Davis, are you sure that you are going to be ready to see this whole thing come together? I mean, if she is going to be dead, then is there something that you would like to do to make it all come together?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this, he was looking right at me, as if he was just sort of over this debate. I mean, he knew why I was doing this, but he was still over hearing it and stuff, no matter what the intentions were.

"I will do my best to be ready. If she is dead, then I will tell her mother about it, have her somehow find a way to blame me and then yell at me over it, and then after she does that for a moment, the two of us could be able to cry with each other, and realize how insane this whole situation really fucking is." He said, and then he was feeling like what he was saying was just making some fucking sense here.

"If she is going to be like this, perhaps you can try and enlighten her on how much something like this whole thing is getting to you." After I had said that, he was looking just at me, and he was sort of looking like there was nothing that he could tell me that would get me to truly understand what he was fucking feeling at this rate.

"She has every right to be angry at me. No matter how annoying it will be, she has the right to be treating me any fucking way that she wants. That is all that there is to the fucking issue." Davis was telling me, a bit over the whole debate that we were having. No matter what she had thought of him, he was feeling like he needed to just be ready for what was ahead of him. Thinking that this was just his way of being ready for the world.

We were getting closer to the house, and the more that I was doing this, I was just feeling like maybe I was going to have to find a way to keep him feeling like we were going to be working together on something right now. "Here is the thing at the very least, you can say that no matter what, you can try your best. I think that when you can say that, there is a certain level of forgiveness that they have to be giving you. Or else I think that she might be the one who has the main problem here." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was sort of unsure of what was going to be going down now, but I just had no fucking idea how this would be heading now.

But as we were getting to the house, I was sort of just trying to find something to do that would get him to be seeing my perception. "I just feel like when I am her boyfriend, I should be going above and beyond. I feel like there is a level of trust that I need to totally get here, and I am failing to do something like this. I am failing terribly to sort of pull anything into one fucking area, no matter how much I want to act like it is all fine." Davis said, and I was aware that while he regretted this, I just needed to try and find a way to make a difference here.

"I think that everybody is going to be too busy blaming themselves to know the one person that is truly at fault for everything happening right now." I said, and then Davis was looking at me. He was clearly thinking that I better blow it out of the park with this answer, and I was feeling like I had a good one here. "I think that the one who is responsible are the police force. For not taking the job more seriously, and slacking off the entire time that something is going on here."

"If the police were more honest about what they were doing, then they would have found a way to save this girl. They would have not bullshitted, and they would not have just deflected the main point. It would come together in a important way. I think that when I say this, you probably know how I feel." I said and then after I was saying this to him, I was just seeing him wanting to try and say something to bring it all together.

"I guess that maybe you might be having some truth to this. But I feel like I still need to be taking some authority on some things that I can change. But I guess that there is no point in arguing with this whole thing for the time being." After he had said that to me, I was just seeing him just wanting to continue, but we were both thinking that there was no real need to continue the debate any longer here.

Once we were at the entrance of the house, Davis was putting his right hand on my left shoulder. "I am going to do what I can to make things work. I am going to fucking get the truth here, no matter what is going to come together." Davis was saying, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing him almost looking like there was something he was going to be cool with. Almost like he had started to make some peace with what was happening now.

"I will not put myself in danger unless if I need to. I know what you would not want me to be doing right now." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was not totally convinced here, but he did not really have any clue on what he was even going to say. He was feeling like what he could say was just going to be a waste of time now. But then he was just telling myself that there was no point in trying to fight with me on this, to sort of just think that I was a decent guy who meant well, but was just kind of an idiot who did not know how I was still going to be getting to this rate now.

He was opening up the door to the house, and the entire time he was doing this, I could tell that he was sort of just unsure of how he was going to be feeling right now. He was just going right in, and he had felt like virtually nothing else was going to matter at all. But then once inside, I was seeing Davis looking like this was just going to be a nightmare coming right to him. "I fucking hate doing shit like this. But I guess that there is no point in whining about it right now. I mean, all that complaining is going to do is just going to make things worse."

With that, we were walking up the stairs, and I was just telling myself that this was the one time that I really wished that I did not join the fight, and that I should have just stayed home, or stayed at camp I guess, and pretended like this was totally not bothering me at all. But I guess that something like this was just impossible to do.

Despite what was going on, I was seeing Davis getting stronger than ever. Davis was looking like he was not going to be letting anybody tell him off. He was going to fight, and he was going to save her, regardless of what was about to come, he felt like this was just the only thing that could keep things together now.

He eventually saw that Victoria was sitting down in the house, and Davis was looking like he was super glad to be seeing her in the area. So he ran up to her, and was sitting down on his knees as he was looking right up at her. He was looking like he was dealing with the most fragile material in the world. "Victoria, please look at me. I am here. I am going to be getting you out of here." I was wondering what Davis was going to say on the event that their reunion would be interrupted by something like Jeffrey Woods coming along and deciding to be a fucking asshole who would ruin everything. A part of me was feeling bad for Davis, but I knew that we needed to be safe on what we were fucking doing.

"Davis, oh my god. I never thought that we were going to see each other." She was saying, and then she was smiling. She hugged Davis for a moment, and I was hearing some noise getting made in the distance. I was thinking that I was now going to have to say something to them to make it very clear what was happening now.

"We need to get out of here. I hear something in the distance. There is no time to be debating this." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, I did not think that they were going to understand what I had been feeling right now. Davis was seeing my face, and he was seeing how scared that I was getting, and he was clearly seeing that I was not messing around right now. When he was clearly seeing that I was not messing with this, and I was totally dead serious about what was happening, they were nodding, as if thinking that they better hold out their reunion for the time being.

"Damn it. I was hoping that we were going to be able to make this easy for us." Davis said, and then he was pointing right at me. As if feeling like he just had to try and make his point very clear to me. "You need to get her out of here, no exceptions. Do not be debating this with me. I need to take care of some things before I leave." Davis was telling me, and then I looked down, feeling like I just needed to respect what he had been telling me.

"Davis, please don't do too much to him. He has some good intentions. I was trying to help him. He is right on everything that he has been trying to do." She was telling me, and I did not really think that any of this was going to make any sense. But then Victoria got up, and followed me out of the house. Davis was at the front door, and then as he was waiting for a bit, there was the man in the white shirt looking right up at us, and he was running down right towards Davis, as if ready to do the fight anyways.

The two of them were punching each other, and Davis was clearly looking like he was putting up a fight. The two of them rolled down a pair of stairs, and Davis was doing a good job not showing his pain at the moment, and I was thinking that he was kind of a troop. Jeff was taking out a knife, and he was starting to bring it right down on Davis's left arm, and stabbed him twice on the arm for good measure to make his point.

After he had been stabbed on his arm, Davis kicked him right back, and then Jeff was starting to walk back a bit, and he was holding his chest for a second as if a bit annoyed at this. Then Davis was starting to get himself back up once more, and then Davis was starting to raise his right arm to still try and fight back. Then Jeff was grabbing Davis and then slammed him against the wall. But then Davis punched him right in the face as hard as he could. And then after that, Davis got him again with a second, even harder punch and stuff.

Then when Jeff had been gone away for a few seconds, I was seeing Davis thinking that this was going to be a good chance in order to get the hell out of here. Davis was aware that maybe fighting Jeff was something that he was not quite ready for, and he was starting to accept the fact that this was something that could not come out of this that would be any good.

As he was getting near us, and he was thinking that hiding was the best way he was going to be able to get out of this, that was when Jeff was trying to grab Davis, and he was thinking that if he got Davis, then everything was going to come together. Jeff was trying to stab Davis but then after he was about to start to stab Davis again, he elbowed him in the chest, and then he kicked Jeff down the drive way. He was sitting down for a couple of seconds, and then he was getting up after a moment. Because despite how much Davis did not want him around, he was wanting to not see the man dead for any reason. So with that, we were starting to run away, to be trying to keep ourselves safe.

As we had been running off, Davis was starting to have a harder time running due to the arm wound that he had been given, and he was clearly looking like he wanted to just get out of this place. He was wanting to relax, and he was wanting to pretend like he was not going to just bleed out to death over the fact that he had been stabbed and there was no attempt to bandage him or bring him to the hospital.

About an hour or two later, we had reached the summer camp, and I was seeing Victoria looking right at me. "Thanks for helping me. I hope that you will be fine with everything and that you don't feel the need to be forcing yourself to do anything else." She told me, and then I was seeing her looking like there was some respect she was showing here. But she was still thinking that this was fucking insane, and that I should not have brought myself into any of this shit in the first place.

"I did what I had felt like was needed to keep things working. I will do it again if I feel like it is what I can do to make things different." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was just wondering what the fucking hell I was even going to do in the first place. I was then seeing Davis looking like he was wanting to say more. But at the same time, he was just in too much pain to say too much. So he would just suffice at a couple of sentences here.

"I should go take Victoria home. Then I am going to be heading to the hospital. Then after that, I will try to find a way to bring Jeff down. Or at least see what Jeff was trying to do." Davis said, and then with that, he and Victoria were heading off, and I was seeing them getting further and further away. The entire time that I had been seeing them going off, there was still a small part of me that felt like I was just needing to find a way to not lose my mind, and that as long as I was going to be keeping myself together, then maybe the people at the camp would not even notice or care much for my absence and stuff.

I was heading to my cabin, thinking that maybe I needed to just respect what Davis was telling me now. You know, since he was the one who had told me that doing this was a terrible idea, and despite how much I did not want to admit it, I was aware deep down that he was totally right on everything that he had been saying. But for some reason, I just felt the need to fucking fight with him, and I needed to fucking stop.

We were inside of the cabin, and then I laid down calmly. Just feeling like the longer that I was going to rest, the better that everything was going to be fucking fine. I was annoyed at what was happening, but I did not give a fuck. I knew that I had done something good. I had helped Victoria and Davis. And that is a part of the whole story. And I might tell the rest, depending on how I feel right now.

The next day, I was standing up, and I was seeing Tai, the hot head athlete in our cabin, standing around as if he was actually trying to understand what had all happened lately. He was looking at me, and he was just trying to think of something that he was going to say. I did not know if he was wanting to talk to me specifically, or if he was wanting to talk to somebody else and all that stuff. But when he saw me, he was looking like he was ready to be speaking to me and stuff.

"Hey T.K., how have you been? Didn't see you around all day. Not like it is much of my business." Tai said to me, and he was sounding like there was virtually nothing that was too strange about this. He probably thought there was no way in hell that I actually did anything too strange. Probably thought I was dicking around at the camp for several hours, and forgot to return home in a good time. I mean, there was virtually no other reason for him to think that it was any different here.

"I just have been trying my best to not get myself into too much trouble. I think that I am done with the idea of going out and doing stuff that I can't really physically handle." I said, as Tai was looking at me, wondering what I had meant. Then as he was looking at me trying to understand this, he was thinking that it was not his business, so he was telling himself to not really push on me all that much in the first place. "But what was going on with you yesterday? I did not see you around at all either."

"I was forced to talk to the police yesterday. Not really something that I want to talk about and stuff. All that I will say was that this was something that I was not really ready for, and I was just trying to actually do something good with my life for once. But I guess that something like this might not really fucking be possible." After he had said that, I was then thinking that maybe he might as well just tell me what was going on here. But I was thinking that as long as I was casual about it, he would respect me on my slow bringing into the subject.

"Don't worry all that much about it. I mean, if you are a bit curious, just do whatever you need here. I am just kind of curious though. Since I was forced to do something related to this recently. But was it related to a missing girl named Victoria?" I asked, and as he was looking right at me, he was looking like he was wanting to see what my reaction was going to actually be on this whole thing. He was clearly looking like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

"Yeah, it was related to her. I did not even know who she was though, so I decided not to say or do anything about it. I think that it was just something that I needed to say in order to not get the police to be angry at me for things that I honestly could not do a fucking thing about." After he was saying that to me, I was feeling like he was just going to be a little bit broken on this entire thing, but that when he was talking to me, everything could start to come together more.

"Do you think that there is something going on that can drag this whole thing together?" Tai said, and then after he was telling Tai that, he was just feeling like perhaps none of this was actually going to be helping out anybody in the long run. He was feeling like maybe I would not be able to understand how I was feeling on this whole situation here.

"I think that perhaps I can tell you more of the truth about what I was actually doing this whole time. I think that you would probably understand that I would not want to be open about this after everything that has happened." I said, and then after I was saying that to Tai, he was looking like he was slightly interested in what I was saying, but at the same time, he was clearly looking like he was not wanting to see what was to be coming along with it. "I was looking for Victoria. I wanted to actually try and help that Davis guy out, and see if he would need my help on finding her. We did find her, but there are a lot of really strange things that I did not expect to bring this together that sort of you know, did just that." I said, and then Tai was clearly looking like he was wanting to see what else was going to be coming from this whole thing.

"What did you learn? I mean, that might be really important for her family or something. Not like I could know how to make that better for them. As awful of a person that I actually am." Tai was saying, and I was wondering why he was so down upon himself. But I decided that I should not say anything at all. That maybe he was just a bit sad at everything that had happened, and felt something in himself to make up for it.

"I was learning that there was more to that whole Jeffrey Woods story than I thought. I had always assumed that maybe it was just a single story that was blown way out of proportion. But it was revealed that all of this was true, and that this whole thing came together. And now that I know that Jeff is real, I don't really know how to bring this whole thing together. I saw him, and I knew that when I saw him, there was nothing I can fucking do about it." I said, and then after I said that to him, Tai was looking like this was hard to believe, and I did not blame him.

"I remember that story around the time that it happened. I mean, I did not ever want to deal with something like this. I had always thought that the police had done a decent ob covering this whole thing up, so that way we would not have to deal with something like this again. I just think that if he is real, then there might be a bit of merit in going around and taking him down." Tai was saying, and he was looking at me, as if wondering what I was going to say to him here.

"I think that this might be extremely dangerous, and that it would be best to just accept the fact that Victoria is back. Do you really think that going out and trying to do something crazy like fighting is going to be worth it?" I asked, and then after I had asked this question to him, he was looking at me, as if thinking that this was much more important than simple feelings.

"I have to at least try and do all of that stuff. I don't know what it would be like to live in a town where I know that Jeffrey Woods is still real. I think that it goes beyond what I want from my town. What I want from my town is to also make sure that nothing fucking happens to us anymore. And if that means that I have to kill him myself, then I will do this." Tai said, and then after he was telling me that, I shook my head. I wanted him to quit this before it got any deeper.

"If you go into this, then everything will be for not. Davis did this because he wanted to save his girlfriend, and this was something that he felt like he could accomplish. Going after a man who has no compassion, no remorse to killing hundreds of people. That is something that I know that you can't accomplish. I know that you do not have it in you to do something like this. You do not have it in you to literally kill a man." I said, trying to make him feel better, but Tai did not know what else he was going to try and say now.

"If I can't kill him, then I can at least hurt him. And that is something that I want to do. Please, I know that it sounds strange for me to say this, but it is something that I feel like I got to try and accomplish." Tai was telling me this, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing Tai looking like he was ready to challenge me on this, but from the look on my face he was seeing, he probably thought that he had won.

"Let's just sort of get this whole thing over with. I mean, I just don't really know what to say now. I can't believe that I am the one who is trying to get other people to not go out and do this. I guess that maybe the irony is sort of coming in full circle now." I said, and then after I had said that, I was just sort of unsure of what I was even wanting to say now. I was walking out of the cabin, and Tai was joining me, wanting to help as much as he can on a campaign I did not want him to be a part of.

As we were slowly getting out of the summer camp, Tai was sort of looking like he was wanting to find something to keep this whole thing together. "Hey T.K., how do you feel Davis is handling things with his life right now. I mean, he is a pretty interesting bloke, and I think that he might be wanting to make Victoria really happy. He probably cares more about her than virtually anybody else, and will not let anything happen to her. So if you want to find out what he might be doing to make a difference, then it will all work out and stuff." Davis was finally feeling like everything was going to be working together and stuff.

"I just don't really think that it is all that big of a deal. I think he might want nothing to do with it. I think that he will probably just find a way to keep her safe on his own. Like just keeping her at his house for an extended period of time. I think that this is the only thing that he will think can actually make some fucking things work." I said, and then after I had said that to him, Tai was thinking that there was nothing else to keep it going.

"Let's just see what everything can be like now. I think that if you are insisting that we should be leaving Davis alone, we might as well see what we can learn from something else. Even if I think that we should be bringing him along to this." Tai was saying, and I could see there was a small level of annoyance to what he was saying right now.

"Maybe there might be something about it on the news. You know, some reporter who could have had some clues with this." I said, and I did not even know if something like this could work. I mean, I was just sort of telling myself that it would be the most boring thing in the world. Who would like going to a news station. But at the same time, I was feeling like if it would make Davis stop this insanity, I would suck up and do the research with him. I would even try to help just to distract him from this insanity.

We were eventually going along, and I was seeing Tai looking like he was wanting to say something else. To sort of mildly change the subject to be one that he was feeling like we were going to actually kind of enjoy. But I did not think that he was going to be looking too deep into this whole thing. "I think that maybe there is something that Jeff probably wanted if he was taking Victoria. Do you have any idea what that thing might actually have been?" Tai asked me, and then after he had asked me this question, I was starting to sort of piece it all together. I had a feeling that I did have a clue after all, and that I just needed to see what I can do to help Tai out seeing this.

"I do remember something. About a rough business deal, and I think that maybe he was trying to get his revenge on something. By taking their daughter Victoria out and forcing them to follow his own path in life and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying this to him, I was sort of seeing Tai confused at this, and then I was sort of feeling like I just needed to get him to understand my opinion.

"I know that you might not get it, but we need to go and look into this. I have a feeling that the entire situation is going to be resolved if we find a way to meet Victoria's father. I think that this is all that really matters." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was wondering what the fucking hell we were even going to be doing to make things actually seem like it was coming together. Tai was thinking that there was a method to the madness.

"Let's go to Victoria's house, and maybe that might be giving us some answers to the issue. I hope that you might be right on this whole thing. I just think that this situation might be a bit rough to go through right now." Tai had conceded this, and we were starting to think about how this whole situation was going to have any fucking chance of being able to work out in the first place. But I was thinking that if I got Tai to try it out, he would see my point.

I was leading the way to where Victoria lived, and the entire time I wanted was thinking that now that her daughter was home, she would talk with us, a part of myself was feeling like we were just sort of going to be in a spot that was never going to be solved, no matter how much we were actually going to bring it all together. But I did not really know who was going to actually support me on the path that I was going to take now.

Eventually, we found where Victoria had lived, and I knocked on the door, and I was feeling like she was going to be hating my company. Considering how annoying I was, and how much she hated Davis, I was feeling like I just needed to see what I could do in order to make her actually want to speak to me for a bit. But when I was going to see what she was going to say, I was going to feel like everything would have some form of work.

Victoria's mother opened the door, and she was looking right at me. "Where is Victoria, if you do not mind me asking?" I asked, and then she was looking at me, as if thinking that what I said was not funny. I was holding my hands up, as if trying to get her to not think that I was being a insensitive bitch on purpose and stuff. "I thought that maybe Davis or her would have something something. But she was found a bit ago. And I think that maybe they were going to the hospital. To you know, keep things together." I said, and I was just sort of seeing her looking like she was glad to remember something like this.

"That is not important. I was wondering something that I felt like was much more of a deal. That being... Can you tell me who her father was. Nobody is going to hold it against you. I know why you did it, and even if I do not fully get it, I understand that you were thinking that you were doing it for the best. But I am just wondering who the father is, that way I can have a place to go with now." I was saying, and she was looking like she was sort of willing to tell me if it was for her daughter.

"Her father is a man named Darren. He and I have known each other for a while, and I was thinking that he would be the only one that I could trust with the information that I had truly needed. So with that, I started to speak a bit more to him, and we had eventually made something work." She said, and I was thinking about what was going on right now.

"Where is he? Do you know how I am going to be able to find him and see what he might know about Victoria or Jeff or something like that?" I asked, thinking that this was going to be a starting point that nobody would be pissed with. She was looking right at me, and then she decided that she was just going to answer my question, probably thinking I would not help and if she said something, she would shut me up, and then it would be over with once and for all.

"He works in that tall green building around the middle of town. Please do not drag him into something that he is not going to be ready for. I mean, he is not perfect by any fucking means of the word, but he deserves something that can never be given to him before. That is the feeling of certainty that the issues he has created to be put behind him. It is not his fucking fault what happened to Victoria, and people need to see that as long as he has no relationship with her, then he deserves to be left alone." She said, and then Tai was wanting to see what was going to happen now.

"Aren't you a little mad that he rejected you for watching her? I mean, most people who have a parents walk out of watching their kid are angry as fuck. Should you not be as well?" Tai asked, and he was just more confused on the whole fucking matter than he thought that he would be. It was not even important, but it was still something that was getting to him a bit more than he thought.

"I would be pissed if it was under any other upbringing. I mean, I know for a fact that he is just doing his own fucking thing. He has a town that he needs to watch over, and sometimes that means that you can't be involved with your family, and I think that this is what he needs to be able to be appreciated for. I just hope that maybe he did talk with his daughters at least once or twice a year." She was saying, and I was wondering why in a way this was bothering her so much.

"If we go there, do you think that he would be willing to talk with us and stuff?" Tai asked, and he was wondering what the hell she was going to tell him now. She was feeling like what Tai was asking her was a bit odd. He was thinking that this was perfectly reasonable, but at the same time, that was before the fact that she knew everything on this whole thing would be taken into some form of a account. "I mean, this is your daughters life we are talking about? Should we not just let this whole thing get in the way? If there is something that he did, I think that he would deserve at least some form of punishment on the matter."

"If you feel the need to talk with him for a bit, at least take it slowly, and at least remember that it is best to just be polite with him, and not be making things all that hard of him. I think that when you talk with him, everything is going to be fine, and then this whole thing will be brought to a strange level of helping everybody." She was telling us, and I was wanting to find him. "If anybody deserves to burn, it is that Jeff man. He has killed so many people, and he deserves to have his punishment that comes towards him. No matter what that might be."

"I agree. I mean, I remember when did his first rounds of killings all those years ago. It broke me the entire time that this was happening, and I feel like I need to see what I could do to keep things together. I had nightmares for nearly two weeks after this whole thing happened and stuff." After Tai had said this, I was wondering what was even going to be going down now. I was feeling like maybe when I would see Tai looking like he wanted to get some revenge on a man who he had never met, that maybe Jeff deserved it. I mean, Tai was never a great guy. But I thought he would never want to wish the death of anybody until I saw his face that day.

"Just make sure that nothing happens to you two. I mean, as much as I would love Victoria to be back, if it would mean the deaths of these two guys, then I know that I would never fully be able to get over this. Which is just the one thing that I would have that could ruin any reunion that we would have." She was telling me, and I was seeing her sort of looking like she was just tired of the debate that we were having, knowing that we would not fully understand it, and that we were just needing to let it all fucking go and all of that stuff.

"We're two guys that know what we are getting ourselves into. There is no way that it is going to be all that much of a deal. We all will be fine and stuff." Tai was saying, and I saw him looking like he truly believed in this. He was truly thinking that there was no way he would die. I did not know how something like this could happen, but I just did not think it was going to be all that big of a deal.

"Look, you guys are young, and I know that you think that you are invisible, but I think that you just need to take it slowly." After she had told us this, I saw her looking at me, and she was sort of just wanting to make it clear to us what her point would have been on all of this. But it would not make any true difference.

"We will do what we feel like has to be done. Even if that means that we are going to get ourselves into a situation that would probably be getting us killed. Everything will be fine. You do not need to worry about what is going to happen." He said, and we had been heading off sort of just looking like none of this would even make a true difference in the long run.

A we had been off for a while, I was wondering what we were even going to do now. "We are actually going to go there and fight that man. I don't care what anybody is going to say to us. We have to do this, no matter what is going to happen. This is all that we have to fucking do." Tai told me, and I was thinking that there was something that was going to bring this together.

"I don't really think that this is going to make any real difference. Let's think this one out. I mean, sure if you talk to that guy, he might give you some information. But we will not be able to fucking fight Jeff. He is a mass killer, and he has more experience than everything I know here. I do not think for a minute that we actually stand a chance on making this whole thing work." I said, and then Tai was sort of holding his hands. Everybody telling him to stop was one of the most annoying things he had ever had to deal with, and he was wondering how people were going to start to understand that he was not to be messed with on this.

"Listen, I know that he is better than me. I know that he is better than everybody. I am just doing what I have to in order to make it seem like my town can be safe. I want to end the nightmares. There are a bunch of things that we have to do, and there is not nearly enough time to make this whole thing work. I have a lot of things that I want to do and not nearly enough time to actually make something like this work. And the more we get to it, and we work, the better things are for us all." Tai was telling me, and I was seeing him sort of wanting to keep some level of anger to himself now.

"Fine, if you say so. But we need to find a way to get him to work with us. Once we get him to help us, then I think that this whole thing will come together." I said, and he was just glad to see that I was not going to be angry at him with him, and that I was no longer going to argue his plans at this rate.

We were getting closer to the green building, and I was feeling like there was a very important question that I could ask him that would actually need to be considered, and I think even he would grow the fuck up and actually think about what was going on here. If we were having any chance of breaking through to the other person.

Once we had reached the green building that we were finally going to start to confront that man at, I was wondering what I was even going to do in order to make things work. As we were about to enter, I was looking at Tai, who was clearly looking like he was starting to think even himself that he was getting a little over his head, and that he should have planned this out a bit more. "Alright, so you are right. Maybe I should not have been doing this so fast. Maybe I should have been thinking about it a bit more. But at the same time, there is no point in whining about this whole thing. We are just on our own, and hopefully he will be able to listen to us." After said this to be sort of preparing himself for what was ahead, I was thinking that he was just sort of wanting to come off as a guy who was ready for what was to happen now.

"He will be fine. I mean, there is no way in hell he is going to hate us so much that he will want to kill us and stuff. He will probably just want us to not talk about his family at all, and he might hate us for bringing this up. But to kill us? I think we both need to be realistic on this." I said, and as I was saying this, I was just unsure of what we were even going to do now.

"I have no idea what the fucking hell I am even going to do now. Let's just get this whole fucking thing over with, and not be dragging this thing out." After Tai was saying that to me, we were going right inside of the green building, and we walked right up to a small desk where we could discuss things a bit. To sort of at least some find some fucking clues.

Once Tai was at the desk, he did not want to spend any time delaying any of this. "Does Darren work here right now?" He felt like as long as he was going to be polite about it, and he was going to not be making a big hassle of it, then she was going to at least give him some idea on where to head with this. But then he was thinking that he needed to go more in depth with this to not think he was some random annoying kid.

"I mean, I was just wanting to see if I could discuss some things with him. You know to see how he can help us out with a project of mine. You know, for later school. Besides, I know him a bit, so he might be thinking that he would be able to put aside some time to make it all work." Tai was telling her, and he was wondering if she was going to actually buy any of this shit. After all, he knew it was not going to work, but did not know what to do now.

"Fine, you can try to talk to him. There is no real reason for you not to talk to him." She was telling me, and then after she had said that to me, I was wondering what the hell was going to be happening. Before even anything could happen, we were heading along, and she was looking like she was glad to get this conversation over with. Since she was wanting to get back to her work and not deal with annoying teenagers who were acting like they were the coolest people in the world.

As we were walking around, I was looking around, and I was seeing a room with the Darren name on it, and I was feeling like I might as well just sort of check what the fucking hell was going on here. I felt like when I would talk with him, he was going to let me know what he was truly feeling and stuff. Tai was opening up the door, and he was thinking that he was going to be able to get the man to want to talk to him, and that it was all going to truly come together once and for all.

Once we were inside, I was seeing a guy with light brown hair looking right down on his paper. He was looking like he was probably in his mid to late forties, and he was looking like he was just about to scream at the next order that was being made. But then he was rubbing his face a bit, and then he was looking at the papers on his desk for a fourth or fifth time if I had to guess. I was even seeing for a second what was on one of those papers.

It was looking like it had a date on it that had been dated back to four or five days ago, and it was sort of showing the name of a random location. I did not think much on it, but I was feeling like there was something kind of important on this information, but I did not think that it would be all that much of a actual deal. "Hey, I was wondering what you were doing. I was hoping that you can give me some information relating to a girl named Victoria and stuff." After he was telling Darren the stuff he was fearing, and I was seeing him looking like Darren was just a bit annoyed with this until Tai had said Victoria.

"Victoria. How do you know her? I don't like you bringing up people that I know. Can you just tell me what you need to know." After he was saying this, his face was going from annoyed to concerned to just cold. He was looking like the entire situation was finally making bringing out the worst in him and stuff. I was just hoping that he was going to actually give us some information that can help us out in the end of it.

"She went missing recently, and we were trying to find something to be able to bring her together to be freed. We did eventually find her, and she is home with her boyfriend after nearly two weeks or being gone. But we were thinking that her missing case was related to that one Jeff the Killer dude, and we were thinking that perhaps that case with Jeff the Killer always going around hunting down some people like he has some crazy conspiracy and stuff, I think that perhaps you might have something to do with this whole thing." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking right at me and stuff.

"I guess that maybe I can see how somebody would make that assumption on the regular. I mean, I guess that it does not really matter. She is back home. But I guess that I have to wonder why Jeffrey Woods would be going on after me. After all, I never met the guy, and he would probably be able to kick my ass if we were to ever come head to head. Strange how I am saying that about a young teenager." Darren was telling me, and I had no idea what we were doing here.

"Can you think of a business deal that you made about six years ago and stuff? I think that if you can piece something together, then you might be able to have a clue where to put it all together? Or do you think that he might be trying to connect you to a tie of corruption, since I know the truth of what the ties of Victoria and Whitney were? The fact that they were not really legitimate children, and were brought together by a design for producing money for this city." I told him, and he was looking like he was wanting to kick me off, but knew that there was no way he could do such a thing.

"I did not make any deals that brought Jeff here. So there is nothing to be going off of with that. However, despite how much I hate to admit it, there is something that may have happened that could have given him a good reason to bring him after me. But not those fucking girls." Darren said, and I was seeing him looking as if he was just wanting to decide how to help me out in the long run.

"When the whole Jeff the Killer incident started, I was one of the very first people who had made some public article statement bringing him down. Talking about how he was a menace to the city, and how he took down some people that I very much cared about. Some people that I could have called my friends. All for a sign of holy righteousness against some people who were kind of rude to him." After the man was telling us this, I saw him wondering what we were going to actually tell him now. If there was anything that we would have said to him and his revelation. He pretty much helped ruin this mans live in a way.

After he was saying that, I was seeing him standing up, and he was taking out a large cigar, as if thinking that despite how awful the situation was, he would not argue with the fact that he was feeling like he had made the right choice on this whole matter. Feeling like this was the one fucking thing that he should have done to truly make some fucking difference in the long scheme of things.

He was starting to smoke the cigar a bit, as if trying to sort of feel like this was going to be the thing that was going to keep this whole thing together. He was looking right at us, and he was smoking a bit, wanting to speak up for a while longer, sort of just wanting to do something else in the first place. "Hey guys, I am doing what I feel like is just right here. I just was tied to a corner, and I did not know that he was going to continue to do the things that he had done in his life." He had told us, and I was wondering what we were even going to accomplish by doing any of this.

"I know that maybe you had a rough choice to make here. I guess that if I were in the same spot as you, I would have been forced to do something that I would not have felt like I could do. I would have been forced to do something that I would not have wanted to actually put together." I said, and then after I had admitted that to Darren, he was looking like he was glad to be seeing me admit that he had some good points to this.

"If I had known what he was going to do in hindsight, if it would mean protecting the children I had, regardless of the legitimacy of them, I would have possibly said no. If I knew that he was going to kill so many people that I had some connection with, I would have thought about this more." After he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he wanted to find something else to say, but that he had figured that we had gotten his point now.

"Do you think that now that you know what he is going to do, that you will fight him? That you will try to sort of make things better for the people who had been hurt by the things that he had done over and over again? I think it is the least that you owe us." After Tai had said this, to try and control his temper, there was a knock on his door, and I was feeling like there was going to be something going down now.

Eventually, before there was even a moment for us to try and do something, the door would open, and we were going to see a man standing there. As if he was going to enjoy seeing us suffer a bit. Like this was all that he could have ever wanted in the entire world. I was seeing that it was a guy who was wearing a white hoodie with black hair, and I was seeing that there was something inside of his pocket. I was having a feeling that maybe there was a plan that he was going to have to just straight up kill us and stuff.

I remembered the look on the face from the news papers, and I knew who we were going to be dealing with now. "Are you Jeff the Killer?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this question, he was looking at me, as if he was despising me even saying that name to him. As if he was wanting to kill me as a punishment for giving his nick name out in the public.

"Yes I am Jeffrey Woods. I am here to take care of a mess that I have made a long time ago." Jeff was telling me, and he was looking right at Darren. I was seeing Tai looking like this was his chance to not only take care of Jeff, but to also punish him for even doing everything that he had done. To just take care of the garbage. "I promise that I might let you live a little bit longer as long as you let me do this." After he was saying that to us, I was seeing him coming right to Darren, and not just looking at him, and then Darren was looking like he was sort of ready for what was to come up now.

Tai was looking and he was seeing that there was a small sword that was on display in Darren's room. He was going through a mix set of feelings here. "Why do you have that in your office? I mean, that seems a little random." But then after he said that right out loud, he was also feeling like he could use it to at least give him something to fight with.

Tai grabbed the sword, and then after he was grabbing the sword, he was just sort of taking this calmly. Then Darren was grabbing a gun and stuff, and he was pointing the gun right at Jeff's face. "Why did you publish that article on me? Why did you decide not to listen to my perspective when I needed it more than anything else. I needed a person to listen to me, and you did not give me this chance once." After he was saying that to Darren, I saw Darren starting to click back his gun a bit.

"I was doing it when I thought that I had to keep the people around me safe. I did not think that it was going to come back behind me. I thought that I was doing something that could have saved the people around me." Darren was saying to me, and I was just wondering what was even going to be fucking happening in the first place. I was seeing him looking like he was just trying to reason with Jeff, to make Jeff see where he was possibly coming from in the first place.

"I did what I wanted to to keep myself safe. But I turned out to be the villain. Then I learned what was going on in this town, and then I decided that I was going to fight, and I was going to be doing my best to make it all fucking work." After Jeff had said this to us, I was just wanting to see what the hell was going to even happen now. "I am the only one who truly fought for their real moral values. Something that this town needs a lot more of. But I think that there is nothing that is going on here that you will understand. You guys act like you have such good morals when there is nothing keeping it together. You guys act like you have given up so much, but in all reality you have given up nothing besides your general sense of justice for no good reason besides not getting killed." He was saying, and then Jeff was holding his knife tightly, wanting to see something that was going to make us tick, but thinking that such a thing was not going to happen at all.

"I have seen as this town went into shambles, and I was the one who had to repair it. Because you take out a few people who might have been corrupt does not mean that you are actually a good guy. It just means that you are a fucking terrible human being who might have done a good thing or two by cleaning out a bit of the trash. But now here you are, you are now the trash." He was saying, and he was not even going to pretend to be nice about the way he was going to put it at all. He was over this man, and would make it as clear as day what he felt.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you no longer able to see what you have been doing is wrong? That nothing you have ever done is even remotely considered to be good." He had said, and I was wondering what was even about to happen in the first place.

"I am giving you one chance to get out of this whole thing. It is the only time that I will be patient with you." After he was saying that to Jeff, I was wondering who was going to take the first attack here.

Jeff started to jump on right towards Darren, and he was going to try and kill him right then and there, and before Darren was able to even think about something like this for more than a second or two, Darren fired his gun right at Jeff. Who started to walk back while he was starting to bleed. Then after a couple of seconds, it was looking like Jeff had died. But then soon enough, the blood was starting to fade away, and he was starting to get back up to his normal self once more.

Jeff smiled as that had happened, thinking that it was actually kind of cute that Darren thought something that simple was going to work out. Then after that, Darren was just sitting down a bit shocked and stuff. He did not know how he was going to move at all and stuff. Then Jeff was starting to bring the knife down at Tai, as if thinking that since Tai was distracted a bit, he could take that guy down and then be able to use that as a way to get the others to notice how powerful he really was. He plunged the knife right into Tai's chest, although he could not get all that deep into there before Tai would start to be able to fight back.

"After that happened, Tai punched Jeff right in the face, and then he was thinking that this stupid sword that Darren had was going to be the only way that he was going to actually have a chance on fighting Jeff, and that if a gun shot would not do it, then maybe removing parts of his body was the only way he would be able to destroy this man.

Then once Jeff had walked back a couple of steps from the punch to his face, I started to walk back a bit, and I was holding my hand up in utter fear, and the entire time that I was doing this, I was holding up my hands and stuff, and then the knife started to sink right into my hand and stuff, and I was having the pain of having a knife stab through my hand make me tempted to scream in agony, but I did not want to give myself away, and now I was wondering what I could do to make it go away.

But then after a second or two, I decided that I could not take the pain anymore and I started to kick him on the back away from me, and as I did this, the knife started to move up my hand a bit, and then I was now ready to scream from the pain of the stab, and then Tai was ready to swing the sword back and kill Jeff that way.

Jeff started to grab Tai's arm, in order to try and get the blade out of him. After he had grabbed Tai's arm, started to cut a bit of his arm open, and that he was making Tai scream in utter pain at this attack. Then Tai kneed him in the nuts, and then after that, Tai was trying his best not to drop that blade as he was holding it with his hands, and then he was holding it as tightly as possible. Then Tai was swinging it, and then the blade was cutting a large gap on Jeff's chest, and Jeff was just thinking that Tai could have tried harder to make him bleed, and that this was only going to affect them for a couple of seconds, and then Tai was annoyed with himself for actually thinking he could kill Jeff with something like this when he saw Jeff get shot in the chest with a gun and if that did not kill them, then of course a swing was not going to do the job either.

After Jeff was taking the moment in for a couple of seconds, he was jumping right on Tai and then he started to slam Tai's head onto the wall several times, as if thinking that this was all he needed to do to get Tai to bleed to death, since with each slam on the wall, there was a small amount of blood that was coming right out of his face and stuff.

Then I jumped back, after wrapping my right hand a bit with some tissue on the table. It was awful to have a broken left arm and a stabbed right hand, effectively making both hands very hard to use. This proved to me that I was done with the fighting after this. I could not take this anymore. And that I was going to just relax for the rest of my time here.

Then I was holding Jeff for a bit, and I was dragging him back for a bit, thinking that as I was doing this, I was going to make things better. I was then seeing Tai holding the sword a bit more, ready to just kill him, and then get this whole horror behind them once and for once. Once this was done, I would let go of Jeff to make it so that when Tai would swing, he would not get me as well. Since I knew that I was going to die if he would hit me at all.

Then before even a moment of thought could go down longer, that was when Tai was swinging the blade, and as Jeff was ready to stab Tai a bit, he was stopping mid swing. Then as he was looking down, he was seeing that Tai swung the blade right in half. Jeff was walking back, trying to hold his body together as he hit the window, and when he fell out, the body was starting to split in half, and eventually it hit the ground, with the knife a couple of feet away.

We had been looking down at the body for a while, and I was wondering what was even going to be happening now. I was just starting to walk out of the office, feeling like I needed to apologize to Darren, but truly had no idea what the fucking hell I would say to him that he was going to believe, so I was thinking that maybe I should just not act like I would say anything, when I know that he would not believe in it in the first place.

Tai decided that he would instead have something to help out. "Hey, I was wanting to apologize. Sorry for bringing you all along and stuff into something that you should have been free from. I mean, even if I do not know what you are up to, and even if you are not a good person, which I don't know if that is true or not, you should have been freed from this insanity. So I hope that you will be able to put this all behind you, and we just act like this never happened." After Tai had said that, he was wondering if what he was saying would actually make any difference in the long run. If they were going to listen to him.

"Don't worry about it. I just never thought that the children I had were going to be forced to deal with the consequences of my own actions from several decades ago and stuff." After Darren was telling me this, I was seeing Tai looking like he had felt like he had done something correct for once in his life.

We left the office, and I was seeing people around the area looking around wondering what the fucking hell was even happening in the first place. Once we were out of the office, I had been wondering what we were even going to do to bring it together in any way shape or form. As we were walking along, I was looking right at Tai. "Let's just go back to camp. I am tired of being here. I am tired of this bullshit." I said, and then I was seeing Tai looking like he was glad to be hearing me suggest such a thing to him.

We started to leave, and what we did not know was that as we were walking back, the two halves of Jeff were starting to come together again, and he was becoming a whole man again. He was starting to smile as his two halves had combined, and he was grabbing his knife as if he was ready to kill us now. He was tired of people trying to kill him when it would not work. He placed the knife back in hos pocket, and after that, he figured he was going to be ready for his next set of operations and stuff. After he was ready to continue his path, he had been unsure of what the next step to punishing us would have been.

That was all that had happened that day, and I had slept like a baby that night, finally feeling like nightmare was over. I genuinely thought that I did not have to deal with this bullshit again. I was tired of everything going on around me just falling down, and I did not want to deal with anybody telling me that I was just on the wrong footing again. I was wanting to actually enjoy my time at this town, and I did not know if such a thing could be done. But I was willing to actually pretend like none of this was bothering me anymore. As hard as something like that could have been.

I woke up the next day, and I was seeing that my brother Matt had been in the room for quite a while. He was wanting to probably talk to me about something. So I decided that as long as I was cordial with him, and I did not get annoyed with him constantly asking me questions, he would be getting off my back. "Hey T.K., what happened to you last night?" He asked, sounding careful enough. But he was clearly just wanting to see what the hell was even happening now. He was wanting to see if I would tell him the truth of what was bothering me.

"You mean with my hand? Well, I just got myself into some stuff that I should have left myself out of. That is the best way that I can be able to describe everything that had happened. I just feel lost and lonely right now. Knowing that there are so many things going on around here, that I can have no affect on." I said, and I saw Matt looked just kind of lost at what I meant. So I looked at him, as if thinking that I should have just been real with him.

"What do you mean? Do you mean that you are talking about the missing people here? I think that you are just needing to take it easy. This shit happens all the time. There is no real point in getting all up and arms about something that you can't fix." After he was telling me this, I saw him almost looking like he was feeling bad for me. But he clearly had no idea how else he was going to try and say something to get me to relax.

"Trust me when I say that I wish that I can just pretend like this is not all that big of a deal for me. I mean, when I see people around me, and I see them trying to have fun in life, knowing what is going on, I am kind of shocked, and I am also kind of impressed at what they can accomplish." I said, and then I was seeing Matt looking like he had no idea what to say.

"The only thing holding you back from doing something, from relaxing, is the fact that you are just sort of learning about it all at a age where you are unsure of what is keeping things together. You are just sort of finding out about things that you are dealing with in this town are more than you are bargaining for. I think that this is something that you should be just trying to be getting used to." After Matt was saying this to me, I was seeing him sort of looking like we were going to be on a long road now.

"I mean, is there really anybody that cares about what is going on here? Is there anybody that truly gives a fuck about the fact that we are having to just pretend like people are not going missing at a large rate? Only just pretending like everything is going to be fine? I mean, this whole thing is just fucking insane, and I think you understand that I can't really pretend like this is not going to be taken way too far." I said, and then Matt was just trying to look like he had felt bad, but he did not know if he could given the situation that he was in here.

"Listen to me, it is best to just keep things to yourself. It is the one thing that I have learned about this town. Is to just pretend like things are totally fine. I think that you are going to be fine when you are all on your own. I mean, if you really feel like you need to see what is going on here, then you just need to sort of be on your own. I think you just need to not force people into doing something that they do not want to get dragged into." Matt said, and he was sounding like he had no sympathy over what he was saying, and that what he was saying was totally natural in every regard.

"But what if something were to happen to Sora? Would you forgive yourself if something were to happen to Sora, just because you want to pretend like everything was all fine and dandy? I think that you would see that such a thing would be impossible, and you would hate yourself for it. And I am allowed to hate myself over this." I said, and then I was seeing Matt looking like he almost felt bad for what he was hearing me say, but could not do anything about it.

"If Sora went missing, I would try until I couldn't to find her. But she is a isolated person. Somebody who I can manage. You are talking about what it would be like to pretty much wage war on a city. That is suicide, and you will get nowhere. Don't even pretend to entertain the idea." Matt was blunt but also truthful about what he was saying, and that was what I hated about it all. The fact that even if I hated it, he was valid in his assertions.

"So it's okay to go crazy and do stuff when it affects you, but not when it is bothering other people? Do you not realize how messed up something like that is? That is like saying having somebody you love die is a tragedy when it is with you, but the moment it is with somebody else, it does not even fucking matter anymore?" I asked, and Matt was looking at me, as if wondering if I was going to ever see the truth for what it was, and if he was going to have to see me see the truth in a natural way for me to fully get it.

"You don't get it. When it comes to the single person, then something like this is the case. If everybody I knew died made me cry, I would never be able to have any emotion rather than sadness. Do you think that something like that would really be worth it, just because you are sad enough to admit that this is a fucked up world? I think it is ridiculous." Matt said, and he was looking at me, wanting to see what I would say.

"I mean, I sort of understand what you mean. But please think about the people who need the help. Think about the people who have deserved to be helped over time. I think that those people should be given more of a chance than it has been given to them and stuff. Just please think about it a bit more." I said, and then I was just trying to find something else to see. "I mean, do you really even care about anything that is actually happening at this place, or do you just simply not give a shit?"

"I mean, I hope that the people who have been forced to deal with this stuff can be able to put it behind them. Trust me, there is nothing that would be greater than people to just sort of not be worried about what is going on at this town anymore. But there is nothing that I can fucking do about it. There is nothing that I should be able to do about it since this is something that is not really any of my fucking business." He said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was extremely unapologetic over what he was saying, for better or for worse.

"I mean, this is something that we have had to deal with for a long time, and the better that things get here, the easier that it is going to be for all of us. That is all that I can really fucking say on the matter. The fact that the better we take things, the easier that you will see that it is to just not be totally lost now." After Matt had told me, and I was just trying to see what was going to be getting out of this whole thing.

"But if it is something that is a obvious problem, and people know of it as such, then why do we not try to do anything about it? Why am I the only one in this town who sees that what people are doing here is just totally fucked?" I asked, and I was meaning it with total sincerity, and I was not even giving a fuck what people were going to think of my comments, and if they thought I was being totally whiny or not.

"Because we are not strong enough to take on something on our own. I thought that you would be able to understand something like that, and I think you understand that deep down. That things are not as easy as you may believe that they are. And when we are faced with something like this, we just simply have to go with what we got. We simply have to deal with the fact that we are going to be totally lost, and that this feeling of being lost is the one thing that truly can make it all come together." Matt said, and he was hoping that I could open up and be able to see what he was meaning and all of that stuff. Even if it was going to be impossible to do so at first.

"What if there was somebody who was strong enough? What if there was somebody who would be willing to do the impossible? To make a true difference? Do you think that something like this might actually be worth a try? To bring things all together? I think that this is something that we got to at least look at." I was telling him with the hopes that he was able to see what I had meant. Matt was looking like he wanted to fight me, but at the same time, he wanted to agree with me.

"I just wish that I had an answer that can make you feel happy. I mean, no matter what I feel about this, I know that you are not a bad person at heart. I know that you are just doing your best, and that you want to help people out as much as you can. But please, if you are doing this, at least think about how you are going to get others to see what you are doing." Matt was telling me, and them after he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he wished to get me to be more open with him on everything going on around him.

"Matt, I want to know what is going on here, and I want to actually be making a good difference. That is all that I want, and I think that I deserve a true chance to be getting this. I deserve a chance to know that this place is not totally fucked, and that some of us care about what we are doing in the long run." I said, trying to not be mad at him, but knew that I was setting myself up for something fucking impossible.

I was standing up, and I had thought that maybe Matt was just not going to work with me at all, and I was thinking that it was going to sort of be a waste of my time to even try to get him to talk with me. So I was just going to try and leave him alone. If he was going to give me the chance to do such a thing. But at the same time, I did not want to totally push him away, thinking that he was just sort of lost on his own mind here.

"Listen to me. I know that you are impatient. And I know that there is something that you want to know to make it seem like you can help out. But please, if you are going to be doing something like this, at least think about what you are doing here. At least actually put your mind to the matter on if any of this is going to make things better." Matt said, trying to sound cool, but also wanting to make it seem like he was making a point in this.

"What even is the thing that brought you into learning all of this? That makes you want to try so damn hard to do something that would otherwise be getting you killed now." After Matt was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say something else. But for the time being, there was no real discussion that can drive him forward in any way.

"I helped somebody find a missing girl. I thought that I was doing it for the best interest, and so far it was looking like I would have made something like this work. But I honestly got placed in a tough corner that I have no idea how to get me out of. And now I am here, sort of just trying to do something that can help more people. I want to know what this town is showing, and then I can find a way to move through with it all." I said, and then I decided that I had said enough to piss Matt off, but to also make him get what I was feeling here.

"This is something that I think you should have been more careful on. Who did you even try to help find in the first place?" After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking more happy to know that under this situation, I was even just alive, and that this was something that he needed to deeply consider before yelling at me further.

"I helped find a girl named Victoria. Davis's girlfriend you know. I thought that by bringing her home, things could be better between them and stuff. She is back, but now I am too deep here. I now have brought myself into stuff that I need to continue. I want to save more people, because I do not want more bullshit to be dragged down the road. I want to find something that can keep it together." I said, and I was totally meaning what I was saying, thinking Matt would get it.

"I thought that by saving her, I would be able to do something good. I thought that this was my way of being able to say that I was a hero at least once in my life." I said, and I was just sort of scared of what was going to be happening now. I was scared that Matt would tell me that I was totally wrong, and that I just needed to get over it, and that I had set myself up for something wrong here. "I just wish that I knew what I was going to be able to do in order to get people to see that I do care in some way."

"Why did you go out and actually do that? I mean, you could have made a difference to turn things around? You could have been safe. I mean, you could have just lived a normal life and stuff. But I guess that maybe you will not ever see where I am coming from. Even if what I am saying is totally valid." Matt had said, and then I was seeing him just looking like he was wanting to say something else. But there was virtually no other reason that things were even going to come close to make sense for me and stuff. "I mean, I do not want my parents to hate what we have done. To hate what I did not do. Not protecting you."

"Protection is something that I do not want. Because it just means that there will be a increased amount of backing. To make you feel like you are forced to take care of me. You are not forced to do that. I do not want you to feel like you are in any way tied to make sure that nothing happens to me." I said to him, and he was thinking about the nicest way he could speak to me to try and get me to see what he was meaning here.

"It is something that you might not want, but it is something that you need. It is something that we all need, and even more so you. Considering what you have been doing, I am surprised that you are even trying to debate with me on such a fact." Matt said, and he was wondering if I was going to say something that would fight him, or if I would silently concede to him on this.

Eventually, I was just thinking that trying to debate with Matt was just going to get me anywhere. So with that, I started to walk out of the room, and I was thinking that when I was alone, I was going to be fine. Like I was not going to get him to be a asshole to me over just doing what I felt like was important. For doing what I felt like I had to do in order to truly make some fucking difference. I was telling myself that maybe Matt was having good points, but I wanted to be on my own. I wanted to sort of show the people that I was not going to be letting things hurt them for reasons that were just really shitty.

As I was out of the cabin, and I was walking closer to the edge of the camp, a small part of me was telling myself that perhaps I needed to go out and see what the hell was going on with Jeff. See what he was able to accomplish and stuff. I felt like perhaps when I was going to eventually get the news of his death on television, then everything was going to be fine and I was going to be wanting to just put it all behind.

I wanted to find out the truth to everything that was going on. I felt like I just needed to put it all together, no matter the cause. But if it has turned out that there was more to this than I thought, then I guess that I would sort of be alone. I would sort of just be forced to try and move across these things much faster and much better for everybody. I did not really know what I was even going to be even close to understanding, I was thinking that I just had to try my best now.

As I was thinking about the fact that I was going to be alone, and the fact that I did not really need to have anybody else to deal with me, and deal with the problems that I was going through, I was just trying my best to be making it look like this whole thing did not even bother me anymore. But I had no idea if I was ever going to accomplish anything like this in the first place.

Before I could let that fact truly sink that, that when Matt started to run out to me. I was looking right at him, trying to see what he was even wanting me to see right now. But before I could even ask, Matt was just getting right to his talking. And I was just forced to listen to him slowly try to even catch his breath for a moment.

"I just got a call from somebody at the camp phone. Somebody who would like to speak with you. Somebody who probably is scared that you are getting too deep into this. Do think that there is more to this than you might suspect?" After he had asked me this, I was thinking that maybe it was Darren or something. Or perhaps even Davis. I did not think much of it at all, and I did not think it mattered at all.

"I think that I should go out and see what that is all about. You do not have to join me if you do not want to. They were out for me, and I am going to see what is going to happen now." I said, and then after I had said that to Matt, he was looking at me, as if thinking that I was even more insane than he thought that I was, if I was going to try and go out on there alone, and not even try to let him join along. That I would willingly just put away my life when I was in front of him.

"I am going to be going with you. No matter how much I may not want to. I have to for my own sake of knowing that nothing is going on with you." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he would dare me to try and tell him off. I was thinking that for my own sake, it would be best that I would not in this case. So I shook my head. Thinking that maybe I had walked into this whole thing, and that I needed to own up to it on my own way.

"Fine. I may not like it. But I know that you are just trying your best, and that is why I am not going to be saying no to this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what was even going to happen now. I was just thinking that I would work with him, then it was all going to come together. "But I do not want to have you just telling me over and over again that I am being too dangerous, and telling me that I do not need to worry about shit. I am going to worry because I care." But then before I could go on, Matt was raising his hands up as if he was to show that he had gotten my point.

"Let's just do our best to make things work here. I mean, the longer we debate, the less time that we both have to truly make a difference, right?" Matt asked, and then I looked down, as if glad to see that he was sort of able to capture my way of thinking. Even if it was only to mimic me and make it look like we were actually going to have a chance to pull this whole thing off. But then Matt was looking like there was some information he could let me in on that would actually be important.

"Oh, I should also tell you something that might help you. Can't believe that I did not think of this earlier. But he was telling me that he wanted to meet you at the high school or something. I mean, I would not really get it. But I can't really argue with the idea and I think that if you want to make something work, you just have to try and make something work. You know, I will stay behind, and I will make sure that nothing happens to you though. It is the least that I can do, considering our fights all the time and stuff." Matt was saying, as he was feeling like it was finally time for him to take at least some responsibility to the whole situation.

"That is a strange place to go. But I guess that I will just roll with it. I just hope it fucking works out for us all." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Matt looking like he was feeling awful for me. Almost like he was thinking that this situation was just a bit much to handle. Like he would not be able to really contain the level of sadness he was feeling. But despite what was going on, Matt was just hoping it could work out for us all.

We started to walk along for a while, and Matt was looking like he was starting to be more and more open with our discussion. "Hey T.K., it is impressive that you are actually going out and caring for the people who are around us. It is showing that there is something that is keeping us all going. Something that I think we are all missing very bad." After Matt was telling me this, I seen him looking like he was wanting to see what I would even try to say now. If he was planning on speaking at all, or if he had given up on talking to me at all.

"I just do something that I feel like I have to. I mean, when there is something going on here, and I feel like I can try to make a difference, there is no reason for me to not do it. That is the main thing that is keeping me forward. In a way, it is the only thing that is keeping me alive. As strange as it sounds for me to say that putting my life in danger is the only way I am staying safe." I said, and I was wondering what he was going to want to say in order to fully believe me.

"I just wish that I was able to believe in this town as much as you are. I wish that I was able to have as much desire to do the right thing as you have. If I cared as much as somebody like you did, then maybe I could have made a difference." He said, and then he was feeling like the honesty was something that could actually be bringing us closer together. It was something I respected him to say, to at least just be real with me.

We eventually reached the high school, and went inside through a small open window. The entire time that we were doing this, I was scared of getting caught, and I was thinking that I just needed to try and be careful on what the fucking hell I was going to be doing now. I was thinking that if we were going to be getting caught, then I would just be telling Matt that he would be able to fuck himself over misleading me over this whole entire thing. But I thought that since Matt had no idea what was to come, maybe I needed to go easy on him.

"I was thinking that I would not have to deal with this place for three whole months, not this. But I guess that beggars can't be choosers." After Matt was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he wanted to say more to me, but decided against it because he decided he had made his point.

We walked around for a bit, and we were trying to look around for a room with some light in it or something. "I feel like this entire thing is pretty crazy. Even to me, I just wish that I was aware of what I can do to make things different." I admitted, and I was wondering what Matt was going to be telling me now. If there was something at the back of his mind.

"You do not need to worry about something like that. You just have to worry about how you will survive. I mean, that is the very best that anybody can do when we are in this type of life." He was telling me, and I was wondering how I was going to say anything else to him. If he was going to actually want to come up with anything else for me to lay on. Something else to actually make me feel like we were not totally fucked.

"I do worry about those that I feel like I should try to help. You know, those who I feel like have been affected by my own stupid bullshit. I just feel like there might be more that I can do to make it different." Eventually, after I had said that, I was seeing a room with some light in it. I was going right to the room, as Matt was sort of looking like he wanted to dispute this, but thought that since I had already made my mind, there was no point in trying to argue with me on any of this. He was just thinking that in a way, I was mush too head strong, and that I needed to think about the weight of my actions before I went on and did something that could get us all killed here.

Once we were inside of the room, I was seeing that the one person who could not have possibly under any stretch of the imagination be there, was the one who was waiting for me. Jeffrey Woods was staring right at me, as if thinking that my reaction was the best thing in the world. I could not be able to believe what I was seeing, and I was just sort of refusing to believe it because I was thinking that if I wanted to believe in it, then I would be opening up the idea to monsters and zombies being real and stuff. It was just impossible. "Hey buddy. How are you doing? I was wondering if you were going to miss me." Jeff said, and I was just wanting to find something to say, but there was nothing for me to say. My shock was even to keep me going at this whole thing.

"How are you even alive right now? I saw Tai cut you right in half. There is no reason that you should have anything going." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking at me with a pouting face, as if thinking that my reaction was just a bit sad, and to totally play with me here.

"Well, I have my own ways. I am just sort of doing what I feel like I have to in order to not die and in order to have a chance to keep it all together." He was saying to me, and I was seeing him just sort of wanting to keep this whole thing up. "I mean, you are just worried about minor things that you can't prevent. Have some fun with your time here for fucks sake." Jeff was then looking like he was done with that, and was ready to get into the main discussion of why he was wanting to see me.

"But I guess that before we get too dragged off topic, let's get to the main point at hand. The main reason I wanted you to have a down to earth talk with me. Since I think that we can be able to make something work if we try hard enough." He was telling me, and I was seeing the look on his face looking to be a mildly sincere one. Like there really was something that he felt like I could help him with in the long run.

"I think that you are now starting to see that this town is a bit of a shit hole. I want you to help me fix it up. But at the same time, I think that there might be a reluctance to do so on your front." Jeff said to me, and then I was looking right at Matt, and I was wanting to see if Matt had anything that he could say, or if he was just as confused as I was.

"But does that mean that you need to go around and kill people? Does that mean that you really need to go on and make lives worse for so many people who have not really done anything to deserve it?" I asked, genuinely wanting to see his perspective, or if he was even having one in the first place. Part of me was thinking that he was just a bit fucking insane. I was just wanting to really see if this man had a method or if he was just crazy. I mean, my mind was jumping all over the place on this matter, and I needed to know if I wanted any chance to make myself see where he was coming from at all.

"Because if I kill them all, and work my way up, then I will be able to start to have people taking me more seriously. When I have people taking me more seriously, they will start to fear the idea of wrong business deals. They will understand that there is a message to be made here. That the message contains the fact that some would wish their own homes to be a place of peace, and not one that is just being thrown around to fit some shitty fucking business model." Jeff was saying, and the thing was that at the moment, I was thinking that he might be onto something, as stupid as it was.

"But if you just let people see on their own, there will be no sign of panic, and people will start to go out there and take the situation more seriously on their own. I think that something like this might be more important. The fact that you are willing to make your voice more heard." I said, and I was just seeing Jeff looking like he was sad that I would never see his point here.

"There will not be anything that comes out of slow progression. Slow progression would be great if it was real. But it is not, and radicalism is a step that has to be taken if it were to create any real results. You might not see it. In fact, you may just flat out refuse to see it. But I know what I am talking about, and I know that what I am saying is the product of years of evaluation." After Jeff had told me this, I was just sort of wanting to say more. But at the same time, I was thinking it was just a bit hopeless.

"But with radicalism in the way of things, and getting in the way of your proper thinking, I think that there must come something out of this that you actually have to consider. The fact that there is a direction that we just feel we have to take, in order to truly keep something going on now. Some people can't be rushed." I said, and I knew it would not work, but I just had to try my best to make it all work in the long run.

"Maybe when you are older, you will truly be able to see where I am coming from, and you might even find yourself siding with me. I would not force anything onto anybody who was not really ready for it. I just wish that you were able to see that I have the best intentions at heart, but I need to have somebody else who would be able to help me out in the long run." He was telling me, and I was looking at Matt, and then he was wanting to say something else.

"You want to know why I did what I did at first? Why I killed my parents all those years ago? You might not really be able to believe in what I am about to tell you, but at the same time, there really is no reason for me to lie to you." Jeff was saying, and once he was done saying that, he was looking right at Matt, as almost begging for him to just convince me to do something like this.

"Fine, I would be willing to listen to you. I think that it is always important to understand where different perspectives are coming from." Matt said, and then after he was saying that to Jeff, I was looking at my brother kind of annoyed, but I knew that he was just doing his best in the situation that he was in, and that maybe I just needed to keep myself listening to this. To see if we could get any fucking light on the matter.

"Thank you for giving me a chance young man." Jeff said, and both of us were finding that strange since he was only like four or five years older than Ken, so it wasn't even like he was like some ancient one or something like that. "Well I did it because I knew what types of deals my parents were into. I knew what they had been doing, and I felt it was important to try and put a stop to it. I did it because I wanted to be the good guy who would actually help out and make a difference. Even if people refuse to believe in me." Jeff had said, and he was holding up his hands, as if he was wanting to see either Matt or I challenge what he was saying.

"When I saw what was going on with this place, I just knew that there was no other way. I could not believe how broken they had been on any moral fronts, and I knew that it was my retribution. I mean, I did not want to kill my parents, and I was always going to feel kind of sad for doing something. But I was always going to do it if I had to." Jeff said, and then Matt and I decided that we needed to know where he was going to go with this.

"I came to this town under the idea of hope. Under the idea that my parents meant well. That they were going to truly make a difference. I felt like they were truly going to try and actually listen to the fears that I had. But they did not. They were just wanting to get out of here, and 'start a new life' away from where we once were. They were to embarrassed to be looking back at the life that we had once lived, and almost wanted nothing to do with what was happening here." Jeff said, and then he was laying back, trying to find more to say. "In a way, I feel like they did love me. But when you find out your parents are just the product of cooperate greed who want nothing more than to expand their wallets, no matter the cost, then in order to keep things safe, you just have no choice but to fight back."

"I found out that they had been involved in the drug trade, which would have been one thing if that was all that there was to it. They were also involved with some minor level sex trade. And the idea of sex trade, as well as the pain that I know it can cause, I just knew that there was no way that I could let something like this go on." Jeff said, hoping that I would listen to him, and that we would finally understand his intentions.

"I was wanting to do what was for once in my entire life, the good thing. No matter what was going to be going on as a result of this, I knew that I had to put away blind family partisan ship. And that was the main thing that was driving me forward. The idea that what I was doing was the right thing." He said, and then he held out his hand.

"I wanted to find a way to spare them. To let them continue to live. I wanted them to be happy. But when I knew that people were hurting because of them, and when I had found out that they had no remorse or regret over the idea, and would continue to do such a thing, I knew that it was the right choice." Jeff said, and he was sad over the fact that he knew his family were not really in it for them.

"I thought that they had noble intentions. I thought that they were fighting for the common person. I thought that they truly cared for the people that were around them. But then it would turn out that they were almost just preparing my brother Liu and I for the journey ahead, almost like we were tools, and I knew that they were no longer the people that I had known." Jeff almost sounded like what he was saying was breaking him a bit on the inside. Like he needed somebody to speak with.

"I thought that they were trying to bring this town to something resembling normalcy. I did not think for even a minute that they were just in it for themselves. That was proven wrong, and I was an idiot for ever believing otherwise. Now I have to be extra careful before I ever try to get to know somebody, because if my parents failed me, and they treated me like I was just a part of the puzzle, then how can I ever forgive myself?" Jeff said, and then he was trying to find a way around what he was saying, but knew that such a thing was fucking impossible.

"But you can move forward from this. You can put this all behind you, and pretend like this never happened." I said, trying to make it sound like it would be the easiest thing in the fucking world. I was seeing looking like he was wanting to say something, but I felt like if I kept going, then he was going to be put to a end. "I just feeling like when I have to deal with something like this, I would just find myself having to tell myself that sooner or later, it would be time to sort of put it all behind me."

"I will not be able to put it behind me until the entire business is dead. That is all that there is to it. When the business is gone, and I have a chance to just act like this never happened, then perhaps I will be able to act like this was all fine and dandy. But until then, and until I feel like there is something that can keep us going, I feel like I am just going to have to do what I can to make people see that there is much work to do." He had said to me, and I was sort of just thinking that he was going to try and say some more to me at this point in time.

"You can let the police take care of this. The police know what they are doing. The police are literally set up to take care of this town under any cost." I said, truly feeling like he was stupid to not consider this point yet. Jeff pounded his hands down, tired of this debate and tired of me on the whole.

"They do not care. They never have cared. They have only been doing it to gain power. They only ever care for power. That is the only thing that they truly think will help them. And that is the one thing that I will not let them slide with. They are the next set of enemies to take care of after this." Jeff told me, and he was looking at me, wondering what I was going to try and say to him now. If there was any reaction I had.

...

As I was finally starting to get to the good stuff of the story, this was when I was interrupted by some people coming into the cabin, and even Izzy was looking like he was a bit let down by the fact that we were not going to be able to continue the story for a while longer. "Damn it, just as I was starting to get excited to tell more of it." I said, and I was looking right at Izzy, hoping that he was going to be find with the hold on the telling of this story. He did not seem to have much of an opinion, once he was seeing who was here, and the fact that neither one of us were really ready for this.

I was seeing that it was a tall guy with blue ish hair or something, with a pair of glasses on, and he had looked like he had just been on a date or something, with the fact that he was wearing a suit and stuff. He looked like he was kind of feeling bad for getting into our conversation, and was going to try to find his way out of it and make it seem natural what he was doing. "Hey, I was just wondering what the way back to town was. I got lost last night, and I am just trying to get back." After the guy was telling us this, I was thinking that this might be annoying, but it would not be that big of a deal to deal with telling this guy how to get back on the road. So I was standing up, ready to just do something like this.

"Fine, just give me a moment." I said, and we were heading out of the cabin, and Izzy was just sort of unsure of what he was going to be doing now. Almost as if he was feeling like he was not going to be the most exciting part of this whole journey. And as we were heading along, the guy with the suit was looking like he was kind of feeling bad for dragging us into this whole thing. Almost like he was just wanting to not deal with this in the first place. But he was just wanting to sort of get it all over with.

We eventually were near the main road, and as we were there, I was seeing the right side, and I was pointing in that direction. "The drive is about twenty minutes. It will not be all that big of a deal. Just make sure that you don't go any other way, and just head straight the entire way." After I had said that, I was seeing the guy looking like he had listened to me, and that this was all that he really needed to know. And as he was about to head out, I was thinking of asking him a relatively random question.

"Before you go, I was wanting to know, what is your name?" I asked, and I was shaking my head, thinking that this was a totally random question, and that I was really needing to think about how stupid I was being with that. The guy was still looking like he was going to be nice about it though, even if he did not get it, and that he might as well just tell me, since I was being nice about the whole thing.

"My name's Joe. What even is this place anyways?" The guy asked, and I was thinking about the fact that he probably was too old to be considering a summer camp any fun. Looking at him, he was probably somewhere between seventeen and nineteen. I mean, I did not know which one he was closer to. I mean, he probably looked seventeen, but his stature and his maturity from the few words we have had so far probably made him seem closer to a nineteen. So it could have gone either way. But I decided that I just needed to give him an answer before he was thinking that I was just some weird kid who did not know how to talk to people.

"This is a summer camp. I think it has been around since like the forties. Although it used to just be for guys until about ten years ago. Something with the older director dying or something, and they decided to take it into a unisex camp. I mean, I guess that I don't get it. But maybe they were just trying to bury the memories of what was going on here, and try to make it seem like it was a nice and friendly place." I said, and then I was shaking my head, thinking about how stupid that I was sounding. "Sorry. I did not really think I needed to load all that information onto you. Since you probably did not care too much for something like that." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he did not think it was all that bad.

"Don't worry about that. In fact, I find that to be kind of interesting. I think I remember something like that being covered on the news. Just a huge case, and how people were all over the place trying to figure out what had happened. But it never really went anywhere, and the case just sort of remains open to guess." Joe said, and then I was wondering if this tainted his wish to go there and stuff.

"Have you ever considered coming to this place? I mean, you probably are too old to come now, but you probably weren't too old even relatively recently." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to see what he was going to say. To see if he was willing to actually open up and be with me on some issues.

"I did back when I was younger. You know, enjoy a summer or two out of the house. Trying to make the most of it. But trust me when I said that was a lot harder than I thought that it would be. People just always coming around and making a hassle out of things that are not that big of a deal. It seemed like I would just simply lose my chance to make something like this happen." After he had said this, I was seeing him sort of looking like he was just wanting to say a bit more to this. But he truly had no clue what he was going to tell me now.

"I mean, I am too old now like you said. This would have been the last summer that I could have done it anyways. So I guess that it will not matter what I wanted or not anymore. I am just sort of doing my own thing. I mean, I have a lot of stuff that I have to deal with, and I know that my life is going to be starting soon, and the longer that I waste thinking that I missed out of something, the more that I am going to be hating myself. The more that I am going to just go down a lane that I never want." Joe admitted, and I was seeing him looking like he wanted to say more. But that there was no reason to continue with this.

"Well, sorry for bothering you with a bunch of questions you might not really be all that interested in. I just thought it would be kind of cool to have a conversation was all." I said, and even I knew deep down how silly I was being here. And then after I had said that, I was seeing him starting to walk along. But he stopped after several steps for some reason.

"Do you see that up above? I think you should take a look." Joe was telling me, and there was a mild mix of sounding scared, while also sounding kind of interested to see where this was even going to be heading now. I was looking up as well, thinking that he had found Jeff or something, which would have fucking sucked.

I was seeing that there were some glowing lights in the sky. Something that you would see in a fucking movie. I was sort of scared of what I was seeing. I had a feeling that this was not a borealis or something simply like that. Which would have been silly to assume it was. But when I was at the moment, I did not care much.


	5. Jeff The Killer

It was in the late summer of 1981 when the police sheriff of Wayside Minnesota was sitting down at his office, just cleaning up some random files that were around the area, as he was supposed to be wrapping up the reports for the day. In a way, he was thinking that the exciting life that had once come out of being a cop, was just no longer there. The excitement that it contained, the idea that he had done something good, was entirely gone, and he had felt like it was just all for not. Everything that he had tried so damn hard to achieve, everything that he had hoped he could have had a chance to pull together, was just all a failure. And he was feeling almost stupid for believing in the fact that he had a chance to bring anything together. That people had any desire to change.

It was almost like he had lost any desire to truly try and make things better, knowing that nobody would truly want to actually listen to him. And when he had felt like he had lost everything that he had been working for, there was a part of him that just felt he needed to let go of the fight. Just almost in a way accept the fact that he had lost the battle. And even then, there was barely any things going on in this town that would be considered a big case. So even the excitement that used to come out of big cases were slowly fading away over time as well. Which made everything seem dark and bleak in a way.

As he was wondering if the fight was even worth it anymore, he was starting to tell himself that there was always something keeping his mind together. That he just needed to finally accept the fact that there was no real way he knew what was ahead of him. So with that, he had decided that maybe in another year or two, he was going to wrap up the case. He was going to just put this all behind them, and he was going to just focus on the main thing at hand. Having a life that he had actually wanted to live.

As he had thought that maybe doing something like this was going to be worth it, there was a person who knocked on the door. He just was knocking on the door as fast as possible. As if he had went through the most traumatic experience of his entire life. He was going to be heading off of work in twenty minutes, but that look on his face was something much deeper than a person messing with him. He had honestly looked like his life was on the line. Despite the mild annoyance the sheriff had, there was no way in hell he was going to let this teen out.

"What the hell happened to you? Couldn't be a simple beat them up case." The sheriff said the moment he let the boy in the room. He examined him up and down for a moment. The kid was probably about sixteen or seventeen years old, was rather lanky and at least thirty pounds underweight, red hair, and had acne everywhere on his face. From the looks on his face, he was probably a street thug want to be, and would be screamed at by his parents to do something even as simple as cleaning up his dirty clothes. But that all seemed to be a extremely minor concern at the moment. In a hour or two, his parents were probably going to hug him and embrace him and just be glad he was even alive.

"Hey, somebody just killed my friends, and I was the only one that survived." He said, and the sheriff looked like this was quite the jump, and was wondering what was even going on to make any of this happened.

"Alright, let's start slow. Please tell me your name." The sheriff said, and he was wondering how he was going to get this teen to actually tell him what he was needing to know. There was fear in his face, and while he was feeling bad for the underfed unhygienic bastard, he also needed to get to the point.

"My name is Keith. My friends were just murdered in front of me, and I was helpless to fight back. I only survived because there was a call to the police, and they arrived just as he was about to stab me in the chest to kill me. I ran here as fast as I could, while taking some routes that were a little discreet since I did not want to be found by the man who almost killed me." Keith said, and then he was looking at the chair. "Can I sit down for a bit? I feel really rattled."

"Keith, who were your friends, and who was the man that attacked you?" The sheriff asked, feeling like he was able to use this as a basic foundation, and that this whole thing was just strange to deal with, and he did not want this young man to be angry at him for just asking some basic questions. "You can go slow on me, but you need to tell me everything that you know. I need to have a starting point if I am to have any chance to make this whole thing work." After he had said that to Keith, the young man was starting to calm down a bit, feeling like he was able to trust the officer a bit more.

"Their names were Randy and Troy. They did not even stand a chance. The guy who attacked us was that new Jeffrey Woods kid who had shown up here a few weeks ago. I mean, I thought he was a decently nice guy. I did not expect him to go around and kill people. Much less two other guys that he had been nice to for the most part until now. I mean, yeah sure, Troy, Randy and I were assholes to him at first, and we should have probably not done that. But after about two weeks of being in this town, Jeff seemed to have a desire to bury the hatchet and I thought we had done just that. And that was almost a month ago." Keith said, rubbing his hand a bit, and the sheriff knew why this guy was so zit faced. The dude was touching his face on some level every five seconds. The longest the sheriff counted without a touch was a mere seven seconds.

"Well, can you describe the scene of the crime? Like did he give you guys any chance of being able to fight back?" The sheriff asked, and he had felt that as long as Keith answered all the questions the sheriff gave him, then he really could not be able to ask for much more from him. If he could ask for anything at all.

"The guy was just coming right up to us. He had a kitchen knife, and he went right at us. Troy only managed to push him back in fear before Jeff lunged at him and stabbed him right in the chest. He fell down in a instant. The guy would not be able to stand a chance anyways even if he did get to fight back. Troy was very over weight. Weighed nearly three hundred pounds." Keith said, and then the sheriff found that mildly amusing.

"Strange how you hang out with guys so over weight. You look like you haven't been fed in a month." The sheriff said, and then after he was saying that to Keith, trying to make it seem like mild banter, Keith decided that he might as well just tell the truth. Not that he was thinking that the sheriff really cared all that much about his eating habits.

"I only eat about one meal per day. I just don't see the point in over doing it. I mean, have you seen the people who show up on television and stuff? People who look like they are one McDonalds meal away from having a heart attack." Keith was saying, and then he was just thinking that this was a valid comment. But then the sheriff was thinking that maybe this was something that was just not contributing to the main point at hand.

"Well, I doubt that either one of us are here to talk about peoples weight problems. Let's talk about the case again. Do you have any idea what is even happening around here? How did Randy manage to hold up? Did he give any real fight, or did he go down really fast as well?" The sheriff asked, just trying to sound his best at not getting mildly annoyed at the constant change of topics and all of that stuff.

"Randy lasted a couple of minutes. He seemed to be a bit more ready, and actually had a fight. I mean, I did not really remember much of it. The whole thing seemed to just startle me and I was just standing there like a idiot. I mean, there was virtually nothing I could have done about Troy. That was too sudden, and too fast for anybody to change. But damn it. I should have tried to stick up for Randy. I mean, he was a guy who I was watching fight, and was just standing there. I could have tried, but I failed. I feel like I will never get over something like this." Troy was saying to the sheriff, and he was wondering what was even going to be happening next in the long run.

"Did this Jeff guy give you any clue as to why he was doing this? I mean, I doubt that he would have, but I feel like there is just something that could have been given away." After the sheriff had said this, Keith was just taking a breath, and then he was sort of wanting to find something to say. At first he was very hopeless, and then after a while, he realized that there was something that he could have been able to give.

"He was saying that he had killed both of his parents. He killed both of them and did not want to give them a chance to be fighting back, since he wanted to punish them for something that they had set up. Like their business or some shit like that. I mean, there is nothing that I can think of that can justify what Jeff had done." Keith said, and then the sheriff was just waving his hand, as if thinking that this was not something he wanted to speak of at that moment.

"I change my mind. I am more interested in something else. Something that you were saying at the very start of this conversation. Something about you knowing Jeff for a bit, and the fact that you guys were sort of making up over time. I think that we should really look into something like that. Maybe this can be a good starting spot." After he was saying that to Keith, there was a look on Keith's face as if hiding how pissed that he was the sheriff had started to try and turn this story around around to make him the bad guy when he had just gotten out with his life barely.

"Alright. The thing is that when we first met him, Randy was thinking that he would be a easy target. Thought that Jeff did not know how to defend himself at all. Always thought that new comers did not really have a clue how to handle themselves in this type of town. So he thought that he could beat him up once or twice. Make it clear who was boss, and then we could all laugh about it and put it behind us in a bit. We just did not expect Jeff to actually try and fight back at all. That was something none of the three of us were ever going to be ready for." After Keith explained that, this was all that he had felt like he needed to say.

"Did you ever think that Randy was going too far with his exploits? Did you ever really think that he needed to do what he did? Did you ever really feel like maybe he had made his point enough and did not need to do any more and stuff?" The sheriff was just asking Keith a bunch of questions that he did not even understand the purpose of. But despite what he was feeling, there was a part of him that knew that arguing with the sheriff was just not going to be getting anything accomplished.

"Sometimes I did. But that was only after the moment was over. Usually when it was happening, I thought it was the most fun shit in the world. I mean, I guess hindsight is 2020. But the thing is that I did not ever think that something like us getting straight up killed was going to be coming from it. I thought that at worst, people like the school principal was just going to be yelling at us for misbehaving or something like that." Keith was admitting, thinking that as long as he continued to be honest with the sheriff, he was going to be all fine and dandy. That he was going to possibly make the sheriff be in good graces with each other.

"I mean, I thought that these people were just too scared to fight Randy. I mean, he is, or was I guess, one of the most powerful members of our school. His father was a big business tycoon who had no chance of ever getting caught or brought down for anything he would ever do." Keith was saying, and then the sheriff was looking like there was something that he could focus on that would make more of a difference.

"I guess that when that is something you have going for you, most people think they can get away with anything. I get where that Randy kid was coming from. I was his age once, and I knew people like that. But that is not the point. I think that we need to get to the main point at hand, if we are to sort of have any chance of understanding what we are up against." The sheriff was saying, taking out a yellow note pad. Deciding that the main point of this needed to just be accomplished before anything else was going to be even attempted.

"I need you to do the best that you can. Tell me the entire story that is going on here. Don't leave out any details. Even if you think that they are not that important, just do what you can. And I will see what I can get from these things." After he had told Keith that, there was a look on the teenagers face as if this was just the one thing that Keith wanted nothing to do with, and would hate doing with all his heart and soul.

"I guess that I can try. I don't really know if I remember any of it though. I hope that you can go easy on me. I think that in order to get a full understanding of what our relation with Jeff was though, I do need to start back at the start of this. When we had first gotten to know him." Keith said, and then after he had said that, the sheriff nodded as if thinking that this was a long night, but as long as Keith was at least polite about it, he was not going to be hating this too much.

"I bet the police are taking care of the outside situation right now. So I think that we do have the time to afford something like this. I will just need to sometimes take a little while with the writing here. You know, to make sure that I get every detail that I can here." The sheriff said, and then after he had said that, Keith was just looking like this was going to be the worst nightmare of his entire life coming to a head, and that he just needed to not lose his patience on this.

"Well, it all started back about six weeks ago, when we were just hanging around some random store or something. I think it was either a arcade or a movie store. I guess that maybe it does not matter too much. You know, it's not like that detail is really going to come to a head." Keith had said, and the sheriff was just looking at him, as if feeling like this was the most important part of it all.

"That is going to be important. If I want to be able to have a full investigation record, I will need to know where the store was. If you need to take some more time to think about it, then just do it. But give me the correct answer." After the sheriff had told Keith this, the young man was thinking about it for a moment. Then when he was done, he nodded, as if finally feeling like he got an answer to the where it was after all.

"Yeah, it was the arcade now that I think about it. So we were hanging around the arcade one day, just not really giving much of a fucking damn about anything..." Keith started the story, and then the sheriff was taking out a cigarette, as he was starting to write down the story that Keith told him. Told in a slightly more professional way for the news press, and for the archives. But still did his best to keep to the original story that Keith told to make it genuine.

...

Chapter 5: Jeff the Killer

It started around the middle to late end of July of 1981, when there was a family of parents and two sons moving to Wayside. They were given a job promotion and came here, which was the main reason that pretty much any single family had come here in the first place. Nobody was going to move here unless if it was a job related offer, because the price of living in the town otherwise was just going to be over the top, and almost not even a livable price in the first place. So in a way, it was a huge chance for them to be able to have enough of a social standing to live in this town in the first place.

The family had consisted of two parents and two sons. Jeffrey and Liu Woods. Both of which were teenagers that were in high school, at various grades. With Jeff going into the tenth grade and Liu coming into the senior year, and neither one of them could have possibly thought that there was a single thing that was going to come out of this town. Both of them probably just assumed that the town was just going to be used as a new method to be able to get this family back together, after some of the disenchantment that had been caused, and make it seem like they were truly actually a normal one.

Bot Jeff and Liu wanted to try and make their family proud, but neither one of them were really ready to be forced into the life style that had been laid forward by them. "When you guys are done with school, we were planning on getting you guys into joining our business that we have been promoted to. You probably saw where we are going to be working from now on. We passed by here while on the way up." Jeff's father was telling them, just trying to sound like this was a totally casual conversation. Jeff was sort of unsure of what this man was talking about with them passing by. They didn't park or stop on a single place in this entire drive. So this guy was just making stuff up or assuming he somehow knew something.

"Where are you guys working at?" Jeff asked, trying to make it sound like he cared, and slightly altered his tone in order to try his best to give off that impression. Despite the fact that he was not successful, he knew that this was the best that he was going to be getting out of this. Both of his parents probably knew that as annoying as this was, and as much as they hated it, this was going to be the closest that they would get to him sounding like he had cared. So they decided to just tell him as it was, and take advantage of the fact that he was talking to them at all.

"That green building that we drove by. We were promoted there when we made that really big deal several weeks ago. We did not really think too much was going to come out of it, but when we were actually hearing about the promotion that we were going to be offered, we felt like we had no choice but to accept it. I really hope that you guys like it better here." Jeff's mother said, and she was sounding like she was a bit worried about how her two sons were going to take it. But she had felt like they were going to be fine with everything soon enough. She was just feeling like there was no way that they would hate her too much longer over the promotion and step up in power that they had gotten and stuff.

As the car had parked, and they were near the two story house that they would live at, Jeff's father was staring right at Jeff and Liu, and was wondering what the two of them were going to try and say now. "If for nothing else, look at this as a chance to get some new friends. And if you guys hate being here so much, in a couple of years, you will be able to leave. But I think that there is no more urgency to debate this. I think that what we should be doing right now is just trying to make the most of it." Jeff and Liu's father almost had a stern voice with that. Like he was over this debate, and not wanting there to be any illusion to the idea that this was a subject that can be discussed.

"Hey Liu, want to go out and try to find some things to do around here? You know, just to get something going?" Jeff asked, and he was wondering if Liu wanted to be tied to his brother, or if he was going to just reject being around him for no real good reason besides some stupid superficial embarrassment.

"Yeah, I guess that maybe we should just find something. I mean, this is kind of boring just staying here." Liu said, and after he had said that to Jeff, the two of them were starting to head along. Their parents did not mind them being out late and stuff. In fact, in a strange way, they almost preferred it. Just to get a moment to relax, and a moment not to deal with them complaining about work and stuff. Complaining about the fact that they were brought to a town that they did not want to be at for a million times.

"Hey Jeff, be real with me, do you feel like this whole thing is just a bit bullshit? Being brought here to be dragged to a business that we did not get any say on? I mean, it is honestly kind of bullshit." Liu said, and then Jeff was thinking about that statement a bit. There was no way around it, Jeff deep down agreed with what Liu was saying. But at the same time, he was just thinking that maybe they were only going to make things worse by complaining about it.

"I think that it is annoying. But I would rather not fight with mom and dad. I know that if we do, then they are going to be pissed at me. They are going to act like we created some terrible crime about something that we have no say over. I guess that it does not matter all that much." Jeff said, and then after he had said that to Liu, he was wondering what Liu would try to say now. If he was wanting to really even tell him anything at all.

"I guess that you might be right. I mean, at least you are doing your best to be reasonable about this whole thing. I think that you are a better man than me on that regard." Liu said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to find something else to say here, but did not really feel the need to go on and tell him more. He was feeling like this was all that it even mattered.

"Hey Liu, do you think that it will be easy to settle into a social life here? I mean, having friends who will like you and stuff? I think that we should really try to make something work here." Jeff was saying, and he was just trying to be calm and casual over this, but in a way, he was just sort of unsure of what he was going to actually accomplish at this rate. He just wanted to make Liu feel like he could be honest with Jeff, and not be feeling like he had said anything too awful.

"I think it will be a challenge, but I think that if it will make our parents happy, I just have to try and accomplish it. I mean, I am not even all that big on making them happy. But I would rather have them approve of me than just act like what we are doing is a bit off. I would rather just get this over with than just get the, to treat me like I am not making any thing of this place." Liu said, and then eventually, the two brothers decided to finally drop the subject. They missed being home, and that was all that they were really needed to state on the matter before going over and over again on it.

Eventually, they were near the town arcade. It was the closest place that was to where the two of them lived. Despite them not being the best gamers in the world, they knew that it was a good place to just chill at for the time being. A good place to just pass some time in the early summer to get into the feel of being at this new town.

"Are you much of a player yourself?" Liu asked Jeff, since he did not see Jeff playing at all, but knew that maybe he was wrong about his preconceptions on his younger brother. He had been wrong about some things related to Jeff before. But nothing that really mattered to him all that much in the long run. "I can pay since I bet that you don't really have much money and stuff." After he was telling Jeff that, he saw Jeff look like he was just fine with this whole thing.

The two of them were walking inside of the arcade, and the two of them were just playing casually for an hour or two. Not really making much of a deal out of the games that they played. Just trying to see how good or bad that they both were, and they were just laughing along at the performances each one of them created since they had thought that maybe as long as they had some things like this at the town, then perhaps it was not going to be the end of the world to be here. Maybe they might not get some real friends right away, or get the people around them to want to hang out on a long basis, but there were some options that they were seeing.

Once the two of them were starting to sort of run down a lot of the games that they had tried once or twice, the two of them were feeling like there was a good enough stopping point and felt like perhaps they would continue in a few days. Once they had actually earned some more money from their parents from various chores, and even would perhaps try some other things after they had some revenue.

"Hey Jeff, that was a lot of fun." Liu said when they had walked out of the arcade, and there was virtually nothing that made them think that there was something to worry about. Liu just felt like the worst that was going to happen was that they were going to come home, and then their parents were going to wonder where their several dollars had gone, and then just be leaving them alone once the lecture was all done. "But I think that maybe we should head home before our parents get a bit annoyed with us."

As they were starting to head along, that was when there was a group of three teenagers walking in their direction. They did not think of them too much as they saw the teens. There was no way in hell that they were supposed to be thinking anything of it. The two brothers just thought they were going to play some games there. It was only when they started to talk to Jeff and Liu that they had realized something else was going on with their intentions.

"What are you two doing here? You do know that this is my dads arcade, and you need to be one of the cool kids in order to play here." One of the three kids, the more chubby one said, while looking at Jeff and Liu, wondering how the two young guys were going to react. Neither Jeff nor Liu really knew what they were going to be saying to this. Almost like this whole situation was just something that they never thought that they would be forced into here. But then Liu was feeling like as long as he was polite here, then the three men were going to leave them alone.

"Look, we had just shown up here for the first time in like ever. I mean, I did not really think that what we were doing was even all that wrong." After Liu had said that to the two guys, he was feeling like he was going to defuse the situation a bit. Make them think that they were just at worst mildly naive guys who were at this town and at this arcade and was just trying to make the most out of something that they did not know. Under any other situation, people would have assumed that Jeff and Liu were being relatively civil on the whole matter.

"This is something that you need to learn right away. Our three families are a large part of the wealth to Wayside, and we have more of a say on the matters here than you probably think that we do. If you want to try and fight this, then you might be getting yourself ready for something that you could not be able to fully defend yourself against." The one in the middle said. He looked like he had been through puberty at the age of eleven. His voice was rather deep for somebody of his age, although his curved body would mildly throw off the idea of them looking strong and intimidating to a regular old person. But to somebody of Jeff and Liu's age, seeing a guy like this, a guy who looked like he did not care for rules and regulations at all, it was the scariest thing to them.

"We do not want to cause trouble right now. We can leave you alone right now. I am very sorry for creating any problem." After Liu was saying this, he was feeling like he would be doing his best that he could. That if the three boys were not going to listen to him, then they were just going to be going out of their way to be trying to ruin what was happening here. "Let's just take it easy and get to know each other first. You know, just to try and get everything all calm and collected now." Liu was doing his best to make it look like this was something that was in no way bothering him at all, and that he was just being a respectful man on the whole matter.

"My name is Liu. Right here, this is my brother named Jeff. We moved here just today after our parents got a promotion to this town. We used to live in Louisiana until now." Liu said, trying his best to be polite, and he was feeling like doing this was the one thing that was going to keep this whole situation to having at least some chance of staying together, and he was feeling like perhaps as long as he was finally going to get them to calm down, then everything was going to work out for the better.

"If you are going to try and play nice with me, we might as well play nice with you to." The guy with the curved chest said, and then he was pointing to himself, and the tone that he was using in this introduction made it clear to anybody with any intelligence that he was not finding this to be worth the discussion at all. "My name is Randy. My two friends over here are Troy and Keith." He pointed to the fat one and the very skinny one after this. Despite him looking like he was sort of on top of the situation, the reactions of the other two guys made it clear that there was something going on here. There was a small amount of uncertainty that they had been having here.

On one hand, there was Keith who was constantly touching and playing with his face. Almost to an over the top extent. He was looking like he was incapable of doing anything else besides try to pop the acne on his face that he was indirectly responsible for causing. Then there was Troy, who was looking like he was just constantly glancing at the arcade. Like he was fearing how his father or his other friends would react if they saw him talking with two losers who had just moved to this town.

"How about we just get out of here, and we just pretend like this never happened." After Liu was saying this, he was trying his best to be making it look like there was no problem with all of this. Liu was just wanting to make this whole thing calm down, and he thought that he would rather deal with his parents than any of this.

"Are you going to try and come back here, and try to play more of our games?" Troy asked, as if letting himself act like he was the main man who was behind the whole confrontation. That was when Jeff and Liu were looking at each other, as if thinking that there was virtually no point in lying. But they were scared of seeing this get any worse, or turn into a fight. They felt like this was the one thing they had never wanted to get into, no matter the situation.

"Maybe at some point. I don't know. I have not thought much of it at all. I think that maybe one of these days, I might just go on and see what this place has to offer." Jeff was saying, and he was wondering what this guy was going to even say to his comments. Since Jeff did not speak once at this point in time, the reaction he was having was one that they were not really ready for. They were looking right at him, as if wondering what they were going to even want to say in the first place. But despite what Jeff was feeling, he knew that they were not going to listen to him and all of that stuff.

"If you decide to come back here, there is going to be a extra fee that you will have to pay. Until we earn your trust, if you come to this arcade, you have to pay us a dollar as an extra entrance fee. The games are the same price. But you do not get to come in here as somebody who does not support us and act like you are going to just get right into the whole matter." Randy said, and then Jeff was looking a bit annoyed, but he was feeling like as long as he was just keeping things civil, then they were going to have no reason to hate this.

"Alright, do we have to pay each of you, or do we just have to pay one dollar on the whole?" Jeff was asking, and he was seeing that Liu was thinking that he was setting them up for a failure. That he needed to actually think about what he was saying, and that he needed to try and actually find a way out of this matter. To find a way to make it look like this was just a normal discussion. But then after he was seeing the three guys looking like this, Randy was looking like he was clearly going to want to take advantage of the stupidity of these two guys.

"Just one dollar for now. If you start to disgrace us and our company, then it will have to start to be a dollar each." After Randy had said that to Jeff, this was when Jeff was feeling like there was virtually no other way he was going to get the two of them to act like they would listen to them. But it was something that they were just going to have to go on with.

"Guys, what other places in this town do you all own?" Liu asked, and then after he had asked the guys this, that was when all three of them were looking like they were trying to decide if they were going to lie and tell them more places than in general, or not take the risk of getting caught, and just tell them as it was, and then slowly make the two guys more and more of their own personal slaves on the matter.

"Keith's father owns the video store near here. He also owns the movie theater. My father owns the green business building a couple of miles away from here." Randy said, and then Jeff realized what this was meaning. Liu realized what this was also meaning, and what the context was going to be if they got into a huge fight with this man, and how much they were going to get their family in danger if they had stepped over the line in any regard whatsoever. Jeff decided he would be honest, and try to find something to make them all laugh on over the matter.

"My dad works there now. That is the job that he had recently taken." Jeff said, and he was hoping that Randy could be able to respect that. He was seeing Randy smiling at this, as if thinking that the whole situation was kind of cute. Then with that, he was thinking that he was going to try and get Jeff and Liu to listen to his words. He was feeling like the faster that he could get them to fear his power, the faster that he could get them to listen to him on all matters.

"You better be in good graces with us. If your father makes any deals that my parents don't like, we are going to have some major problems and we are going to come and make you sorry for this." After Randy had said that to Jeff and Liu, there was a certain look on his face that was making both of the fellow teens know that he was serious. This scared the shit out of them, but this also made them feel like they had been ready for the matter. Liu was thinking that as long as he was able to get them away, then none of this would need to continue now.

"Alright guys, I think we all made our point, and we can just head on home now. I hope that this is the only time that we really need to discuss this matter." Liu said, and then with that, the two brothers were walking off, thinking that they did not even need to make another word on the matter. That was the thing that Jeff felt like they needed to do on the first place, and that they were taking it too seriously to not do this earlier.

As the two brothers reached the house, Jeff was looking right at Liu, and he was wondering what he was going to tell his brother. To try and show how annoyed he had been with the fact that these people had been walking all over them, and thought that they were going to be rolling with this stuff. That they were not going to try and fight with them at all and stuff. "You know, I really wished that we actually stood up for ourselves, and actually made our voices heard to them. I guess that maybe we are just too focused on not getting mom and dad angry at us." Jeff was saying, and then Liu was looking right at his brother, not sure how he was going to feel on the way that Jeff treated this.

"Trust me. It is not going to be worth getting at these peoples bad judgment just because we want to make a point or something like that. We already have a lot of stuff to worry about as it is. I think that we should just let them do their own thing. You know, to just let them think that they own us." Liu was saying, and then after he had said that to Jeff, he was wondering what the hell he was going to be saying here. But at the same time, there was something that he had wanted to speak of further.

"I guess that you are right. I just don't want these people to think that they own us. Just because Randy's dad is our boss does not mean that we should be letting them act like they own us like some damn dog. I thought that he would have been able to see that we wanted to be treated with at least some form of respect." Jeff said, and then Liu was thinking that such a wish was rich as can be, given the personality that they had exhibited.

"Trust me, if I thought for a minute that these people were going to be good players, I would have tried to be nicer to them. But I have seen these type of people. I know that they do not care, and that they are not going to even try and act like they will be nice with me. I think that we should just be glad that they were able to leave us be here." Liu had said, as if hoping that his statement on the matter was going to be final, and that even Jeff at his mood was willing to drop the deal.

"I mean, I wish that people were going to not be super shitty. But you can't try and change peoples mindset of their upbringing. That is something that is impossible. You might as well try to convince people that their religion is not true." Liu said, and he was thinking that if anybody heard his comparison, they would freak the hell out and treat him like garbage.

"Yeah, I guess that it does not really matter all that much. I guess that I should not even try to figure it out anymore. Would be a bit of a waste of time." Jeff said, and then he was feeling like that to them, the matter was dropped, and that it was going to just not even fucking matter anymore. As he was feeling that way, he was wondering how he was going to move forward from this, and most of the conversation was going to different subjects from that point forward.

About three or four days later, Jeff and Liu were walking along, and they eventually were at the arcade once again, and they were sort of feeling like perhaps it was time to actually give that whole thing a chance. Sure things were a little bit rough with Randy, Troy, and Keith were a bit rough at first, but both brothers felt like this whole thing was all fine. That they could sort of just put this whole thing behind them. "What if we find them again? Are they going to make a big deal out of us being here?" Jeff asked, and Liu did not really know what he was going to say.

"We will be fine. I mean, they were probably not serious, and even if they were, they have probably forgotten all about it. So I would not be too worried about this. Let's just try and enjoy the time that we are going to be having right now." Liu said, and he was just trying to make the situation as easy as possible. He was feeling like there was no way in hell things were going to be getting any worse here.

As they were inside of the arcade, the two of them started to just play some games. Feeling like that as long as they had played around, then things were going to be all fine, and that there was no real point in worrying about anything that was going on now. Jeff was finally feeling like Liu was probably right, and that there was nothing going on here, and that he was just being too worried about things that were not really even all that big of a deal. Jeff was thinking that when he was going to see Liu, nothing else was even going to matter all that much.

The game had gone on for a hour or two, and at the end, Jeff and Liu were looking like they were going to just head out, and just be going home, or maybe trying to check out other places like the video store. As they had been heading out, that was when Randy had seen them, and this time, there was no Troy or Keith. At least not at this point in time. Randy was looking like he was just wanting to push Jeff and Liu around a bit more.

"Did you pay the dollar that you had been told that you would need to give us when we first met?" Randy asked, and he was looking like he was going to be having some fun at this whole thing. Jeff was looking like he was just wanting to find something to get this guy away from him. Jeff was looking down, and he was thinking that he just needed to get this over with. He had not wanted to fight these three guys, but if it was the only way to get this group of people to leave him alone, then Jeff was going to do what he would have to.

"We do not need to worried about any of this. We are just trying to have some fun. We will not bother you if this is such a big deal." Jeff said, and he was sounding like he was totally ready for something like this actually, and that he was not going to be taking sh it from anybody. He was wanting to get this situation over with, and he was wanting Randy to see that he was not wanting to make any real issue out of this.

"You made an agreement with us, and you turned on that. You lied to us, and we do not appreciate people who lie to us." After Randy had said that, he was looking right at Jeff, as if wondering what he was going to see the fellow teen say. Jeff was looking right at Liu, as if thinking that despite how much he wanted to be ready for this, he really was not going to be, and that he was going to just have to take care of this fight all on his own.

"I promise that we did not mean anything out of it. If you care so much, we can put the money right back, and just pretend like this whole thing never happened." Liu said, and he was seeing that Randy was looking like he was not really having too much to listen to here. Almost as if he was wanting to get these two guys to shut up. Even though Jeff and Liu were wondering what was even going to be happening now. "We are just trying to get along with people and not create anything out of this." After he tried his best to sound calm and collected, that was when Randy punched him right in the face. Jeff was shocked because of the fact that he had witnessed Randy just trying purposely to make things worse.

Jeff was feeling like Randy had opened the door to making a fight happen. So with that, he jumped right onto Randy, and then he was pushing Randy right down to the ground, and then Jeff punched Randy right in the face. He was not going to be taking any more bullshit, and he was going to keep fighting until Randy would get it in his head that they were not going to go along with this just because his dad was their boss.

After Jeff punched Randy right in the face three times, that was when Randy finally had a chance to fight back, when he had a moment to comprehend what was happening, and he punched Jeff right in the chest as hard as he possibly could. Liu was not wanting Jeff to fight, but he was also feeling like since Randy did start the whole thing, maybe there was nothing wrong with what Jeff had been doing. He honestly thought in a way that maybe Randy even deserved it.

Jeff was starting to stand up to sort of grasp from his punch, and then Randy kicked Jeff right in the nuts. After that, Jeff was realizing that he was not going to be taking anymore. He kicked Randy's knees a bit, and he was seeing Randy looking pissed. Like he could not believe that Jeff was actually fighting back. Despite the fact that he was angry at the fact that somebody was not going to be bullshitting and letting the fight just be one sided, there was also a small part of him that was actually almost impressed. He was thinking that maybe these guys were not so bad after all.

After he had done that, Randy was looking around, trying to find something to give him the upper edge. But he could not, and he was also thinking that he needed to try and show people that he was not that weak after all. That he was just needing to show people that he was strong after all. As Randy was thinking about that, Jeff punched him in the chest as hard as he could, and then after that, punched him in the cheek. When he had done that, there was a part of Jeff that had felt like he had done his job, and that he had proven his point.

After he had done that, Randy was thinking that now he was back to normal, and he went right at Jeff, and then threw Jeff down to the ground, and outside of the arcade, where there were people who were now finally watching on a grand scale the entire fight. With that, Randy had kicked Jeff as hard as he could. He knew that he was not breaking anything, but he wanted to hurt Jeff as much as possible, and make him suffer for trying to get into anything with them.

As Jeff was thinking that now he had a valid chance of losing the battle, that was when Liu was grabbing Randy and then he threw Randy right into the arcade again, and with the strength that Liu exerted, that was when the two of them started to head off, and then that was when Jeff and Liu started to run off, and then that was the moment that they had feared that they had really messed up and created more problems than good.

Eventually, Jeff and Liu reached their house, and Jeff was finally feeling like he was going to be safe now. "Please tell me that something like that does not have to continue. That was something that I thought we would never have to deal with. I am shocked that we are actually fighting like this." After Jeff had said this, he was thinking that they were going to get into a lot of trouble with their parents. But at this point, it was like they did not even matter anymore.

The next day, there was a follow up to the fight that had happened at the arcade, but not to the extent that either Jeff or Liu were ready for. They were honestly kind of expecting such a follow up to be the last thing on mind at all. There was a knock on their house door, as Jeff's father was getting ready to be heading on out to work. "You guys better behave today. We do not want to create any real problems here. Not on our first week here." Jeff's father said, and both Jeff and Liu were starting to feel like perhaps he already knew the truth to this whole thing, and they were both feeling like they needed to see what the hell they were going to be saying to get out of this whole thing.

But that knock had stopped anything from being said any further, and then Jeff was walking right to the room, and then Jeff opened the door. He was seeing Randy with a band aid on his nose, and there was also Keith and Troy behind them. Jeff was looking right at Liu, feeling like this was going to be leading right into another fight, and neither one of them were truly ready for something like this in the first place. But there was a look on their face that was slightly different. Something that made the two guys think that they were not here to fight with them.

"Hey, we were wanting to talk for a bit." Randy said, and then after he had said that, Jeff and Liu's father was walking by the area, and he looked down and was seeing who this guy was. He looked a bit worried, as if he was feeling like perhaps there was going to be something very rough coming up. That was not a very bad assumption, considering what had happened the previous day and stuff. He was just thinking that perhaps he was over thinking though, and would try to say something that would be considered relatively cordial.

"Hey guys, I met your dad a couple of days ago. Told me all about you and stuff. Said you're a good guy." Jeff's father said, as he was walking down the stairs, and then looked right at Jeff and Liu. "I really do need to be heading out to work now. I hope that you guys do not create too much of a problem here. Don't want your time here to be too chaotic." After he had said that, he was heading out of the house, and left the guys alone.

Once he was totally out of the area, that was when Randy was looking right at Jeff and Liu, wondering what the hell he was even going to try and say to them in the first place. He was feeling like he was just needing to try and say something better to make them feel like they were not going to totally hate him in the first place. Because he had felt like there was something that could come out of this whole mess.

"So I was thinking about what we just did yesterday. The fight that we had. I have to admit that I should be allowed to punch you right in the face for what you did. But that being said, I was so impressed that you actually had the courage to fight back here. I thought that you were going to just let us walk over you. I got to admit, I did not expect such a thing to happen." Randy said, and then he was feeling like he was ready to try and say something that he did not think was even possible.

"I respect that right now. I was wondering if you guys would be willing to just sort of let this subject go, and you would be able to just try and be friends with us and stuff. You know, see if we can try and make something like this work." Randy had said, and the more that he was saying this, he was thinking that he was not really ready for such a thing. He was feeling like this was fucking insane. But at the same time, he did not think that what he was saying was all that wrong.

"Are you sure that this is not a set up? I mean, after everything that you did to me, I would not be ready to brush such a thing off." Liu responded, and Jeff was finding himself forced to agree with Liu. After this whole mess, it was just hard not to be feeling like such a thing was happening here. The more that he was thinking that, there was Randy that was holding his hand up to try and make a relaxed motion now.

"You beat me fair and square. If that is not a sign of how cool you guys are, then I don't know what is. I mean, you do know that if our parents are supposed to work together, they are not going to really enjoy this fighting between the two of us. I think that they will make our lives miserable. So even if we do not try to be friends with each other, I think we should at least stop this fighting. If there is one thing that I feel we can agree on, it is the fact that dealing with our parents would suck ass." After he had said that, he saw Liu and Jeff looking like this was a truly valid point.

"I guess that this is a valid point." Jeff said, as he looked right at Liu, thinking that they were needing to just pretend to be nice, and Liu seemed to mostly agree with this sentiment with the way he was looking at him. "Sorry for the huge mess that we went through in the last few days. Let's just pretend like this never happened before." Jeff said, and then after he was saying that to the three guys, this was starting to make him feel like everything was fine. He almost believed himself that such a thing was totally fine.

"Alright. Now that we have this taken care of, want to try and do something else. You know, something that can make this a bit more fun?" Randy was saying, and he was almost sounding like he was actually meaning it a bit. Like he was feeling like this was going to be kind of exciting. But as he was saying that to Jeff and Liu, he was wondering if these two guys were even going to tolerate the idea of hanging out with a guy who used to be a asshole to them.

"You were telling me about a video store that Keith's dad owns. What does he even own there?" Jeff asked, and then Randy was looking right at Keith and Troy, wondering what they were going to try and say to this. They had felt like this was something that they were not going to be super excited on doing quite yet. Actually trying to get Jeff involved in any business. But they were almost telling themselves that they might deserve something like this to make things better.

"Fine, we might as well do this. I guess that there is nothing wrong with showing you that place. My father might not know who you guys or make much time for pleasantries though." Keith said, as he was lightly scratching his right cheek with his right index finger, as if he was just trying to make it look like he was totally cool with everything that was coming on. Keith was annoyed, but he was also thinking that he deserved something to keep these guys aware of the fact that this might not work.

"In all fairness, I don't really think that Liu and I were wanting to hang out with your dad or something like that." Jeff said, and he was sounding like this was something that it was a bit strange how Keith was making a huge deal out of this. But then after he had said that, he was nodding, thinking that he might as well just give up the fight, and then the three guys were just going to show these guys who used to hate them around.

After they were starting to walk away, and then as the five guys were walking along, Troy was hoping to find something to say to them. "Hey you two, did you guys want to move here in the first place? Or was it something that you hated the idea of?" Troy asked, and he was wondering what he was going to even do. He was feeling like this was the closest thing to something nice he was going to say. But he was just wanting to make it look like they did not totally hate each other at this point. If such a thing were even possible.

"We did not really want to live in this town, but we did not want to get our parents angry, and we felt like we would just go along with the idea of living here. We thought that they were going to at least help make the transition a little bit easier. To help us feel like we could be able to get used to the new town." Jeff said, and then he was feeling like he was going to be able to finally find something that he was not sure if Randy would understand. But he was thinking that maybe the guy would sort of be able to see his perspective.

"I mean, it feels like when you are forced to try and live to the standards that your parents are setting up, the whole fucking things feels so fake. I hate doing it in all honesty." Jeff finally finished, and he was wondering if these people were going to sort of see his perspective. After all he wanted nothing to do with this place, and he was forced to pretend to like it in order to act like he was going to make his parents think he was not a total asshole on life.

"Yeah, a lot of this town feels fucking fake. I mean, you might not get it right now. There is no easy way to truly describe it. But there is just something about this place that does not really feel real. Something about this place that feels like it is entirely set up just for the sake of a public presentation." Randy said, and he was wondering what Jeff was going to want to say here. If Jeff would try to see what he was meaning.

"I wonder what is going on here if you feel like there is a level of fakeness to it. Have you ever tried to talk to your parents about it?" Liu asked, trying to sound like he was cool with being around these people. But then he was thinking that as long as he was at least polite, and they were going to not be rude to him, then perhaps something like this could be able to actually be the truth. "I mean, if you feel like there is a actual problem here, then you should be allowed to have a right to try and find out what is happening. I think that this is the most important thing you can do."

"I mean, even if we were to try and talk to our parents about it, they would be telling us that we were paranoid bastards, and tell us not to be worried about shit like this. I mean, that is all that they ever tell people. They just tell everybody that there needs to be some order. I guess that maybe they are too scared for their own good." Troy answered this one, and then he felt like he could say more to this. "I mean, if I were to try and tell my parents of it, they would just tell me to focus on school, and that school is the only thing that I should care about. Like I am not allowed to have simple concerns."

"What do you think there even is going on here?" Jeff asked, sort of shocked at the fact that he was actually finding himself interested in this conversation. He was shocked that he was thinking that he could get any form of investment to these people. But despite the way that he was feeling here, he was sort of thinking that perhaps there was something to enjoy out of seeing Randy.

"Probably just some drugs or something like that. I would not be too worried about it. I mean, if it were really all that big of a deal, our parents would be telling us more. I mean, even if they wanted me to have to have nothing to do with it, they would probably tell us the truth if they felt like we were in danger. I mean, my parents can be a bit cold and distant, but I doubt that they like hate me or anything." Randy said, and he was totally meaning what he was saying. There was no way in hell in his mind that his parents were actually all that bad of people.

Eventually, they were getting near the video store, and then Liu was looking around on it. He was starting to slowly concede in his mind that this was much more impressive than the video store that was where he had originally lived. "Yeah, the video store we lived at only had about four or five rows. This place looks like there is at least five or ten times as much." Liu was saying, and then he was looking right at Keith, as if he was thinking he could try and get some more information out of it.

"Yeah, my dad is trying his best to renovate it. Make it a staple to this town. He is even considering adding a second floor to the building. You might like it." Keith said, and he was feeling like this was all that he was needing to tell of the deal. He felt like there was no point in trying to say anymore. Doing so would probably just get Jeff and Liu bored out of their mind on this whole story.

"He must be kind of rich if he is able to do this business all on his own. I thought that these type of places were all worn down and low budget places." Liu was saying, feeling like there was no extra point in talking about the matter. He was feeling like he was just going to have to see what Keith would say to him, if there was anything else that he could say to the matter. But it did not matter much as they were just going right inside of the store, to see what to do then.

"He is decently rich. Has more money than I thought he could have possibly had." After he had said that, he was feeling like he was needing to be done with this whole thing. Not that it was feeling like there was a huge issue out of it, and he was feeling like there was virtually nothing else that was going to even make this whole thing work. But once he was saying all of this, he was just sort of feeling like he was going to have to find a way to make it seem like they were totally cool with it.

The group of teens went inside of the video store, and once inside of the store, Jeff was wondering what was even going to be happening in the first place. He was just sort of looking around, finding that there were too many movies and stuff for him to watch all of. Back when he was living down in Louisiana, there was always a chance, a small chance, but a chance nonetheless, that he was always going to be able to watch everything that was being presented. Not like he really cared to, but there was always something that could be done here.

But then he was thinking to himself that this was not going to be all that big of a deal. He was just thinking that there was something that was going to keep things together, and that he was going to need to try and keep on good graces with these people just so that way he would have a chance to access some of the coolest stuff in the town. If he did not get along with these people, then there was something he was always going to start to miss and stuff.

"I mean, when I first found out about this place. I thought that this was just usually how videos stores were handled. I thought that there was no way that there was any store that was not at least like half as huge as something like this." After Randy had said that, he was looking right at Jeff and Liu, wondering if there was anything else to say now. "But if you guys are talking about how this is not the case, and how small it was, then I guess that maybe there are a lot more of these minor differences in this town than I thought." Randy said, and then Jeff was thinking that it was not even going to matter all that much what he was thinking here.

"Yeah, if I were to try and tell you everything, then we would be on here for hours. There is no point in even trying. It would just take too long." After Jeff had said that, he was wondering what he was going to need to say at all. If there was anything that he would have to say at the matter. But it was not like it mattered too much. The hang out was not too notable after that, and Jeff went back home, just to think about how he was going to learn what his parents true motives were. More out of pure interest than any fears of anything silly.

A couple of days passed, and Jeff was just trying his best to be acting like this whole issue was not getting to him all that much. He just wanted to know what was going on with his parents, and why they were even sent here anyways. He felt like the answer was the one thing that was going to start to try and keep him together and stuff. Jeff just felt like he needed to finally get the truth, and then after he would do that, it would all come together and stuff. Then the entire thing was going to feel like it was a situation to take care of in the long run.

When he was feeling like he had taken too much to bare anymore, he was thinking that he would just go along and look at his parents room for a hour or two. Before his parents would know what he was doing, and then it was going to finally make some sense. Like he was going to just know the truth, and then he would start to feel at peace with the world that he had been living in at this point in time.

As he was sneaking into his parents room, when his father was working and his mother was tending to the house, and just getting ready for her part time job at the store, he was feeling like this was the one time that it would matter. If he did not do it now, he would either lose all motivation, or be caught if he tried. The only factor that got to him more was Liu. That was the only thing that even mattered at all. The only thing that if he was caught on, he would start to actually feel at least a small amount of pity for ruining things for.

Once inside of the room, he was getting right to business. He was looking at a table that was directly across from his parents bed. Jeff did not really think that it was going to matter all that much in the long run looking there, so he decided that he was going to use that as his starting point. He was seeing that the chair was still left open, and this was when Jeff just snuck right in, knowing that he did not need to worry about the details. As long as he did not move at all, he would be fine.

Jeff was taking a long and deep breath, and then he opened up a small drawer, and he was seeing that there was a green card just laying down. Jeff was thinking that it was surprisingly empty for a business drawer, but then decided that after only a few days here, that they had not gotten much time to put stuff away, or many things to really put away in the first place. So he was telling himself to be logical on this whole thing.

After he was picking up the green card, he was seeing that there was not much on it. Just the name of the building that his parents worked at, and the phone number to contact them, and the exact address. Jeff was taking several moments to really look at it before he nodded, and slowly put the note away, feeling like this was all that he had needed from that note card anyways. As long as he had maintained that information, he was going to be fine.

When he had put the card away, he was opening up the second drawer, and he was seeing that there was a note pad in there. This one had a black pen on top of it, and there was some writing on the pad. Jeff knew that this was going to be a good starting point, and that he just needed to try and see the importance of this in the first place.

He saw that the note was containing about sixteen lines, and I was seeing that there was a number on the first one. Obviously, it was the number one. Then there was a name after that number, and Jeff took a moment to look over the name, thinking of what he was going to try and figure out from it. The name on the paper was of a female, and it was looking like she was a bit on the slightly younger end, when there was a sixteen after her name. Jeff did not know the importance of this, and did think too much of that. But he was seeing that there were two small columns after the sixteen for age column.

The first column was titled "Contract completed" And with that, there was a yes under it. Jeff was mildly curious to know what this contract really was, but felt like he would need to hold on with that information a little bit longer. There was another column saying "Progress of cycle" With that statement, the statement said that the first attempt had been finished. Then with that, Jeff was just left with more questions than answers as he placed the paper back in the drawer.

He had no idea what there was even to get out of this. Jeff was just shaking his head, thinking that he needed to try and figure out the importance to this first. He did not think that there was any real direction this was going. Jeff knew that it could not have been a list of murders, since Jeff felt like with his problems and all, his father would not kill people or set up killing people. But then he also felt like even if he did, sixteen was too young, and that there would be no point to saying "operation complete" and "first attempt finished" since when it came to being a hitman, those would be totally counter acting on each other.

As Jeff was thinking about something like this being virtually impossible, he was feeling like perhaps Randy might have been right in that comment earlier about it being related to like drugs or something. Jeff would hate the idea immensely if he was dragged into this bullshit just to help a drug empire or something like that. He would have felt like something like this would have been totally not worth it on any regard. And that he would have had to find a way to show his father that he really would not appreciate something like this.

Like the idea that maybe the operation was succeeded in the way that he was able to get her that shipment, and then the attempt was completed because it was his first attempt to be even working on this in the first place. The whole thing was making some sense, he was capturing the age because he felt like perhaps that was going to be important in case if he was caught. When he was considering that, he felt like it was making some sense.

As Jeff was outside of his parents room, he was going back to his room, and he was feeling like maybe somehow he was going to get even Randy and Troy and Keith to see his perspective. And if he was going to do that, then everything that had happened until that point was going to feel like virtually nothing. That stupid debate over arcades was going to just be brushed aside, and Jeff could just say that this was just dudes being strong and assertive to those around them to look like they had an authority. It made some sense, even if he did not like it too much.

Jeff was just thinking that maybe Liu would want to come along. But if he kept Liu out of this, then if he was to get in danger, then he would be able to say that at least he kept his brother out of it. Jeff felt like his brother was the only one here who was still having no idea of what was going on, and therefore would not get in danger if things went bad.

He knew that if he could accomplish one good thing here, it would be keeping this guy out of the whole thing. That was the only thing that mattered. No matter how much he wanted to have people to see that there was something he could do, he did not want to get some people who genuinely did not deserve it to be thrown into some form of danger. He knew that it was just wrong to do, and something that he would never really justify in the long run.

About two days later, Jeff decided that he would finally go on and meet with Randy, and he was going to see what he would even tell Randy. That he was going to believe that his father was connected to some fucking drug case by the account of some fucking names that he was reading on paper. After he was thinking about it, even he knew how silly it had sounded. But he was truly feeling like there was something going on here. He felt like there was something going on that would keep him together.

Jeff was heading out of his house, and Liu was seeing him heading out of the house. "Hey Jeff, what are you doing?" After Liu asked him this, Jeff was looking at his brother as if he was being caught for doing something terrible when in all honesty the worst thing that he had done was just decide that he was going to be heading out and just meet with a guy that he knew Liu would reject the idea to. And then Jeff would have to explain to Liu that this was his choice, and that he was allowed to be making his own choices on this matter.

"I was going to be seeing Randy. I think that I might have some things to discuss with him. I mean, he might not like for me to be talking with him all that much. But I believe that I might have something to work with here." Jeff was telling Liu, and he was wondering how his brother would react. Probably really badly. But he did not care. He wanted to actually try and help do something right, and if Liu was going to shoot him down for trying to do something good for once, then that was a problem that they were going to be having in the future.

"I will not be telling you no. But I just want you to be aware that there could be some massive problems with this. Such as the fact that he simply might not really want to talk with you. He might be telling you that you are a person who just needs to stop hanging out with him. He might be claiming that you are just using him. I mean, it might be silly. But I think you know that I am not being crazy right now." Liu said, and Jeff was looking right at him, trying to find something to tell his brother. Something that could communicate the point that he was feeling here.

"I think that it might be worth a try. I mean, what is going to truly be the worst that will be coming out of this? Just trying to talk with a guy who might not fully get it? But I guess that it does not really matter what I am feeling right now. People might just be telling me that I am just think irrationally. I don't give a fuck though. I have to do what I feel like will actually make a true difference. I want to show that I don't hate him. No matter what the situation is." Jeff was saying, and then after he had said that, there was not much else that could even be done now.

Jeff was feeling like if he had stated any longer, the two of them were just going to constantly argue over and over again, and it was just not going to be making any real difference. So with that, Jeff was just leaving them alone, feeling like this was all he needed to do to make a difference on this whole argument.

With that, Jeff was just telling himself that there was virtually nothing else that would be making this whole thing even come close to making it feel like it was actually worth it. Jeff had felt like all the arguing that he was having with his family was only making matters worse. In a strange way, the way that he was handling his family issues would actually make him almost rather deal with Randy. Because at least with Randy, there was something different to the scene. There wasn't the scene that he was walking on thin ice with the people that actually mattered the most to him.

Eventually, Jeff was getting closer and closer to the arcade, and he was having a feeling that when he was going to be meeting this guy, then they could finally get some things actually cleared up. He was looking at the arcade, and trying to see if Randy would even be in the area. He was telling himself that the longer that he would be here, the easier that it would be to just pretend like none of this even happen at all.

Before he knew it, he eventually found Randy, Keith and Troy. This time as he was looking right at them, he was just thinking that he would keep it right to the point. He would tell them what he was fearing, and then he would see if they had any information that could be able to indicate that he was sort of on to the right area and stuff. That he was actually not going totally crazy.

"Hey, there was something that I was wanting to talk to you guys about. I think that you might like something like this." Jeff said, and then he was holding his hand up, and this was his way of showing that he had no desire to be fighting, and that he was going to try and make this as peaceful as possible. If such a thing was even going to be remotely possible. He did not really have any fucking clue what he was even going to accomplish. It was just going to be hard to try and get these people to listen to him, since that would require them to totally change everything about their perception of this city.

Eventually, Randy was walking along to a table with a couple of large chairs for the four to sit down at, and then Troy and Keith sat to the wall sides of the chair, and then Randy sat down, and Jeff was sitting down staring at him. "Hey, what is the deal here? I mean, first you act like you can't wait to freaking break me, then you barely tolerate me, and now you want me to talk to you about something?" Randy was asking, as if feeling like this sudden change in attitude was just a bit strange, and he was wanting to really understand where this was even going.

"Here is the thing... I think that the thing you were talking about earlier, I don't know if it is a joke or not, about the whole drug trade and shit. I think that there might actually be some truth to that. I think that my father at least, and maybe as a result, your parents, might be involved in something right now. I have a true feeling that I might have found something big." Jeff said, and he was wondering what Randy was even going to say to this.

"This sounds a bit strange. But I believe you. I mean, I have seen a lot of stuff that my parents work with, and they clearly are up to something here. They are truly not hiding anything, and I think that if you got an idea on what it is going to be, then I think you might actually be onto something. So what do you actually think it is going to be?" Randy asked, and then Jeff was looking right at him, as is shocked to be seeing that Randy was going to be working with him here, and not just acting like Jeff was being stupid or some shit like that. The fact that the guy was even listening to him at all was giving him a feeling of having a back bone on the trade deal here.

"I was seeing some notes that my parents had left in their room about some people who had a 'operation' given to them and stuff. I have a feeling that when the operation as the paper calls it was a success, and that the first attempt was made, I have a feeling that my father was trying to get a sixteen year old girl to buy some drugs from him. I think it might sound silly, but I feel like I got something going here." Jeff said, wondering what was going to be happening at this rate.

"Well, are you sure that something like this is the case? I mean, I know that I was saying that something like this must be the case, but to truly believe that? I mean, if it were true, then that means that the town has been involved deeply with some bad shit. I don't really know what is going on here, and I just feel like I need somewhere to go on this." After Randy said that, Jeff was thinking more about it, and then decided to tell them the name that he had seen on the paper.

"The girl on the paper that I was telling you about. The name was Jane Arkansas. I don't really know if that is going to be much of help or anything, but that was what I had read..." Jeff was saying, and before he even had a moment to continue, Keith stopped him and started to talk, with his rubbing on the face getting even faster than ever, and Jeff was wondering what the hell was going on with him to rub his face virtually every single second of the day.

"I know that girl. She's somebody that goes to school with us. She is a relatively popular person. Easy on the eyes. What do you think she would even want with the drugs? I mean, I doubt most people would really consider her to be like goodie too shoes. But to be going into the drug trade? Something does not add up? I think that you might need to try and find something else out." Keith said, and then at the end of that, he took a long gulp, almost like he was wanting this to be wrong.

"I mean, I read what I read. I did not get that wrong. You might need to try and find something else to keep this going though. Do you have any idea on where I can be to meet up with her?" Jeff was asking, thinking that as long as he was civil with her, and he was discreet, then he was going to be able to figure out how to continue going along with this.

"She lives about three blocks away from me. I mean, I never talked with her much. But I know where she lives. I think that you might as well just see what she might have to offer." Troy had Jeff, and he was wondering what the hell was even going to happen. Jeff was just feeling like there was something else to keep this together. Jeff looked at Troy, Keith and Randy. Despite the fact that they were scum bags, they were scum bags who grew on him, and scum bags that seemed to have some level of compassion. And scum bags who he had felt like could be good people if guided correctly.

"Alright. I don't want to force you guys into anything like searching for some truth or anything. But I would really appreciate it if you at least show me the way to where she lives. Once you bring me to her house, then you can leave me alone, and you never have to see me again. But can you just give me this?" Jeff asked Troy, and then after that, Troy nodded, thinking that this was the best route to be going here with a guy who knew how to fight for information.

The four guys walked out of the arcade, and as this was happening, Jeff was feeling like he was truly desperate to be seeing how this whole thing was even going to be coming all together in the long run. He was feeling like he was really going to feel awful if he was going to be meeting with a person that was going to be get all of these people killed. Jeff felt like he was really needing to find a way to be getting these people out of here if he was even remotely scared that this was all coming together.

"Sorry to bring you guys into something that you might not be very interested in. I just thought that I could be able to try and make something work out." Jeff said, and he was aware that he was not going to be making any positive impression on them. He was feeling like he had been setting up a level of hatred between them. And that they were going to never want to even see him again if they were going to see him going around and putting their lives on the line.

"Well, it was not like you gave us much of a choice. Once you basically told us that we were going to meet Jane, we knew we had to help you find her and stuff." After Troy was saying that to Jeff, he was wondering what was even going to happen now. Jeff was feeling like almost nothing else was even going to matter anymore. Jeff felt like these guys were just going to hate him for something that he knew was not even his full fault. But then he was sort of thinking of what he was going to say now.

"I will hope that she would even be willing to see me. She will probably just tell me off, and think I am some form of crazy bastard. Not that it is really going to matter all that much." Jeff was saying, and he was unsure of what was even going to matter now. Jeff had felt like if he wanted to make things seem like it came down to a level of true purpose, he was going to have to show them that he was not afraid of anything happening here.

Eventually, before Jeff could even think of it anymore, he was reaching the front door of Jane's house, and then he knocked on her door firmly. Hoping that she would be willing to talk to him. Jeff was telling himself that if she was going to speak to him, she would be insane, but if she would not, then she would be a asshole. Either way it was going to be some form of a bad sign, and he did not know which one was actually worse to have in the moment.

As she had finally answered the door, she was looking right at Jeff as if trying to find something else to bring this whole thing together. "Hello, who exactly are you?" Jane asked, not even trying to hide her annoyance at this whole thing. Then she was looking back, and she was seeing that Troy, Keith and Randy were there as well. Now she was starting to think this was a bit too strange. "What are you guys doing with this dude? That just seems to be a bit strange that you are around somebody who doesn't even know what this town is like."

After Jane had said that, Jeff was feeling like he was going to just get right to the point, before she would be making things any worse for them. "My name is Jeffrey Woods, and I am the guy who moved here several days ago. I was hoping that you would be able to help me answer some questions about a issue I was looking into." Jeff said, trying to make it sound like he was actually a professional at this deal, and that he had done this more than once.

"What are you thinking that I am going to be getting out of this?" Jane asked, and then she was clearly annoyed with this whole topic of discussion. But Jeff was feeling like he was just needing to get right to the point. He was also just trying to be as to the point as he could. He had a feeling that she would respect it if he was blunt, and did not waste any time on this whole thing. "I mean, I don't have very much time. So can we just get this whole thing over with." After Jane said this, Jeff was getting right to the point, just to get this over with.

"I was seeing that there was a person who had come by here earlier. Somebody who was presumably giving you something like drugs. He was a man who looks like me, but a good deal older, and a lot less down to earth. Probably is mainly just in this for himself." Jeff was just wondering if he was going to be bringing up something she would never want to talk about, and only after he was saying all of this did he feel like perhaps he was taking this issue too far. Perhaps he was making her feel like her issues were not going to be respected, and she was going to be telling him that she wished him to go away, and it would be all for not.

"That had nothing to do with it. Do you really feel like he would be selling drugs to people like me? Somebody who doesn't even have any street reputation? My god, you might be even dumber than Troy over there." She said, and Troy flipped her off in a casual fashion. Then she looked right back at him in a very serious face.

"If you know so much about what is going on, then why not just tell me what is happening here, and I might see how I can be able to make something work?" Jeff asked, feeling like as long as he was casual about this, then he was going to actually get her to listen to him, and maybe she would even want to help him out a bit more. Just as long as he did not come off as somebody who was pushing on this too badly, then she was going to be going with this.

"You do not know what you are getting yourself into. Trust me when I say that. If you really knew what was happening, you would be smart enough to leave this be." Jane said, and after she had said that to Jeff, she was wondering if he was actually going to be listening to her. Or if he was going to be acting like she was taking this too seriously. But as she was looking at him, she was wondering if there was ever going to be a way to where people would start to take her more seriously at all.

"I would not know how much I would hate something like this if you do not show me what the problem is. You might as well just do this." Jeff was saying, and then after he had said that to Jane, she was looking at the four guys, and she was finally thinking that this was just not going to truly be worth it at all. So with that, she was slowly nodding, as if thinking that trying to talk guys out of them doing stupid stuff was impossible. Especially if they actually thought that they were being noble on the matter and stuff.

"Alright, I will be only doing this once though. I really don't want to talk to anybody else about this." Jane said, and she was starting to have a much more underlying sadness in her statement. As if she was just thinking that this was one of the worst nightmares of her life coming to be known. Which in a way, once they were going to learn what was going on here, that this was actually going to be kind of true. Once he would learn what the truth was, Jeff would start to have a totally different perspective on the entire world.

The four guys were following Jane to her room, and she was looking like she was just trying to make it sound cool. As they were following her, they saw that there was a much older guy sitting on a table looking at a bunch of papers. A guy who was looking like he was probably about forty five or so, and Jeff was making the assumption that he was probably her father. But he was also telling himself not to focus on anything too deep into this house. They were inside of her bedroom, where she would just tell them as much as she felt like she needed to while also having them get off her back on the matter.

Once she was looking at them, she decided that she was going to get right to the point. "Your father was trying to get me to join his business. He thought that I needed to be recruited or something like that. I mean, I don't get it. But that is all that I know. It is all that I feel like you really need to know. He thought he would be able to convince me into doing this job out of the self good of the city and stuff. Yeah, like I really cared all that much what the people in the city were thinking about themselves." Jane said to Jeff, and he was wondering why his father would want that.

"Randy, does your dad try to get people in this town to join his job by various methods such as this? I mean, this just seems a bit strange is all." Jeff said, and then Jane felt like if she started to talk more, and she was not holding anything back, then she was going to possibly be able to get them to be smart enough to see where she was coming from.

"I mean, he does sometimes do that. He had tried so many times to get me and my friends to get to join his job. But I am not interested. He always talks about how it is the future of Wayside though. So perhaps he really thinks that he is onto something." Randy said, and he was thinking that he could finally get some answers. But something like this was just not really looking like it was about to happen. He was thinking that he was going to just remain even more in the dark now.

"It is not like that. It is much deeper than that, and quite frankly I don't want to talk about it. I want you to drop the fucking subject. I mean, it is something that has gone on too deep. It is something that if you try to understand, then you will not want to ever stop looking into this. I mean, despite the problems I am facing, I do not want you to get into this type of stuff. I do not want you to get involved in something that you can't do anything about." Jane said, and then Jeff was feeling like this was the most vague bullshit in the world, and he was kind of tired of this whole thing. He wanted to see what can even come out of this here.

"If you do not tell people what is going on, then nothing will ever be done about it? I mean, don't you want to put some peace to mind?" Troy asked, and he was probably just trying to make it look like he was not offended by the dumb comment. But he was still sort of on about it, and he will not just let it go, no matter what would be best out of it. But then Jane was feeling like she was needing to find something to say here.

"If I wanted to talk about it in the first place, I would bring it up around my family. I would not be talking to three people I barely know and a guy that I have literally never met in my entire life before now. I think that this whole thing is just insane." Jane was saying, and she was thinking that as she was going to be honest on the matter, she was going to finally see what the others were going to say on this.

"Sorry for bringing up something that might be bothering you. I am really bad at this. I just thought that I was somehow helping out here." Jeff said, and then he was shaking his own head, as if well aware of how stupid he was sounding at the time he had said it. But at the same time, in a way, he was just being honest, and he would rather be honest than just pretend like none of this was happening here.

"Maybe when you start to think that you are making a true difference, you got to look at what you are really adding to this. I think that you got to really look at yourself, and not be acting like you have made anything any better. I mean, everybody is already just doing their own thing. No point in just trying to make things any worse by throwing some oil on the fire." After Jane was telling Jeff this, he was wondering what he was going to say now. He was feeling like there was no way in hell any of this was actually going to truly make a actual difference. Jeff stood up, feeling like he was just needing to let this debate go.

"Fine. You have made your point. Even I am smart enough to figure something like this. And that is the 'dumber than Troy' guy." Jeff used his fingers to air quote the dumber than Troy, and then he was starting to head out of the room. He was feeling like he was just over people who were dicks to him for virtually no good reason. Not even giving him any clear direction on what they were even going to try and do now.

Jeff was outside of the house, and the other three came along as well. They were wondering if they should try to say something else. Or if they were just going to be better letting the subject go. They were truly not sure what they were wanting to do and none of them wanted to really over step the boundaries here. They thought that as long as Jeff was dealing with this, he was just going to be even worse than ever.

A few days had passed, and then as Jeff was standing up, he was wondering what the hell was going to happen now. Jeff was just feeling like when he was going to try and fight the whole situation a bit better. He had felt like there was just something that he was going to use to keep him going despite all the mistakes that had been going on around him. Despite the fact that he was taking this way too damn seriously, he was feeling like he had finally made a real indent on figuring out what the hell was going on in this place.

Jeff was finally feeling like he needed to leave the subject alone when he was walking into his living room, and he was seeing that there was a television news report happening. He did not think much of it until he was very quickly seeing the name "Jane" on the screen. Jeff was then realizing that there was a reason she did not tell him the truth. Because she was going to have something happen to her so soon anyways that she was probably thinking it would not even be worth it. Jeff decided that he would watch the report and see what was going on for a bit. As this was probably the most important thing in the world.

"Sixteen year old high school student Jane Arkansas reported missing, and there are no real leads to figure out where she is. Any information on her whereabouts would be much appreciated." The report started, and then Jeff was feeling like he was just needing to see what he would have to do in order to make this whole thing work. But he was just honestly kind of scared of saying anything, now knowing what was to be possibly coming.

"Does this type of stuff happen often here?" Jeff asked, and he was wondering what was even about to happen in the first place. Liu was looking right at Jeff, and he was wondering what he would say to Jeff that would indicate that he was not too sure if he was supposed to believe Jeff's reaction or not. Then he was looking at the screen again, already wanting to know deep down his question as well. After all, they had just moved here, and then people were already going missing after less than two weeks. There needed to be some form of a explanation to what was happening here.

Jeff's mother was in the room as well, and she was looking like she was just a bit sad that this was already popping up, and not several days later, when they had more time to get used to the town and its problems. "Yeah, there were problems like this before. We did not think it was a huge deal. We thought that people were just going missing all the time, and that this was just not going to really turn things off from you that badly." After she was telling her sons this, both Jeff and Liu were wondering what they were even going to be saying at all. This whole thing was just too much to handle.

"You thought that it was a good idea to bring us to a town where people were regularly going missing when there is no way that anybody was going to actually like this idea? That we were going to rightfully so bring out why this was a terrible idea? I mean, come on, what if we were the ones who went missing? Would it still not matter all that much? Or would that be the only way that you would start to care about this?" Jeff asked, and then he was feeling like he was really needing to see what they were going to actually tell him in the first place.

"We do not think that it will be that big of a deal. I mean, what are the chances that you are going to be the next ones who are going to go missing? I mean, truly just be realistic on this whole thing. There is a very small chance that this is going to happen with you." After she was saying this to Jeff and Liu, that was when Liu was starting to feel like he needed to make his comment on the matter.

"Are you seriously going to pretend like this is not going to possibly ever happen? I mean, there are things that you can say that there is a valid statement. But you probably know deep down that the parents of all these people who go missing probably think the exact same thing, and guess what? Those are the ones who are going missing and stuff." Liu said, and then their mother was looking like this debate was not going to be getting them anywhere, and that it would be best to just stop arguing with them on this. They were going to make a big deal out of virtually nothing at all.

"I mean, you are just reacting like this because it is somebody who was close to your age, that went missing. If it was a different age group entirely, then they would not be like you, and you would not care. It is only a tragedy to feel this way when you directly are connected with somebody. Or when you feel like you relate to it. I mean, I get it. When I was your age, I was always the same way when a teenager would go missing. Now I just feel a little sad, and then get over it." She said, and Jeff and Liu had both were feeling like there was nothing that was going to bring this together.

"It just feels strange to know that nobody cares. That nobody actually wants to contribute anything to finding these people. It just feels like there is something very wrong with that. Something that I can't describe, but is just simply unreal." Jeff was saying, and he was feeling like he was not going to get anything out of them. But he felt like it was worth the try more than anything else. He wanted to make his voice heard, and he was not going to care what she was going to be saying to him on this.

"Please try to understand that the police are doing their own best that they can. Sometimes they can't be able to do everything. They just do what they can in the time that they have every day in order to make sure that they can help as many people as possible. You have to understand that there are some things that just simply can't be done, no matter how much time and how much effort is put into it. I think that even you deep down know what I mean." Their mother was saying, and then after she had said that to them, Jeff was wondering what the point to any of this really was.

"I guess that if they are doing the best that they can, then that might be a sign that there does need to be a change in leadership here. But I guess that nobody is going to quite want to do something like that. Would be too hard to really work something like a working system to the town." Jeff said, as he was walking out of the room, and he was just tired of all of this stuff right now. He wished that he was going to be able to piece together this stuff rather easily.

Jeff was going right into his room, and then after he was inside of his room, Liu was coming right in, trying to find something to say to him that could get him a bit more calm, and make him see the reasonable side of things. "Look Jeff, I know that this whole thing is just pissing you off right now. I know that you are just annoyed that things are not so black and white right now. But maybe mom does have some form of a valid point."

"That the police do not give a real fuck what is going on, and is entirely in this for their best interest. I think that she is confirming that in spades, and I really don't like to be thinking that out. I think that we need to try and actually think about what we are doing now to make things better." Jeff said, and then he was looking right at Liu, wondering what he was going to even say now.

"I am going to be seeing Randy. I hope that he and his buddies have a better sense of understanding what things are like at this town than everybody else. I mean, they might be assholes, but they seem to be assholes who have some fucking sense of ideals here." Jeff said, and then after he had said that to Liu, he was heading right towards the door, and then just simply left the house, not ready to be doing anything else at all.

Jeff was going right to where Randy was and stuff, and he was feeling like he was just going to try and see what the fucking hell was even going to happen when he was going to try and find the truth of Jane. He had felt like he needed to try and find something to bring this whole thing together. And Jeff was honestly just scared for what was happening, but in a way, he was not going to give a single fuck whatsoever.

Jeff had gone on, and he eventually reached the arcade, and then he was feeling like when he was going to see what he would learn from Randy and Troy and Keith, then everything would be all fine and stuff. When Jeff was seeing the three of them hanging out for a bit, he was unsure of what he was going to say to them. He was feeling like this was something that was much more important than anything else in the world. That he was just needing to find out what was going on with Jane, and he was going to do anything to finally bring it together.

As Jeff was in front of the three guys, he was getting right to the point, and he was just hoping that they were going to actually listen to him. "Guys, I know that we are having some major differences going on here, but I want to try and find out where the fucking hell Jane is, and I am going to hope that you guys can be able to help me out. If such a thing is possible." Jeff said, and then Keith was still rubbing a bit as he was looking right at Jeff, wanting to find something else to say to get Jeff to listen to him.

"This is going to be suicide. I have a feeling that this is going to really not go in your favor. But at the same time, I would rather try to do something like this, and help you see if you can find her, than just to keep around, and act like something is happening at all." Keith said, and then after he was saying that to Jeff, he was wondering what Jeff was going to say to this.

"Fine, if you are going to listen to me, and at least you are going to try, then I feel like perhaps I have a chance to pull this whole thing off. Do you other guys want to try and help me out here? Considering the fact that you have known her much longer than I ever could have." Jeff was saying, and then after he was saying that to the guys, Randy and Troy were looking at each other, as if thinking that their answer was going to be getting them killed.

"Jesus, I can't believe that I am going to do something like this, but maybe I might as well do this. Besides, she might not consider me to be that dumb idiot anymore if I help you out. As much as I think this is genuinely going to be suicide for all four of us." Troy decided, wondering if he was truly this desperate to get this Jane girl to not hate him so much, and if it was really going to matter in the long run what she had thought of him.

"If you guys are going to do this, then I see no point in arguing with you. Besides, I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to Jane, despite our total differences and stuff." Randy had said to Jeff, and he was wanting to find something that was going to make them at least have some chance of living, but at the same time, there was a small part of him that was feeling like this was just not going to come together. Randy had wanted Jeff to understand that this was insane. But at the same time, he was also wanting Jane to be safe, and he was going to do anything it was going to take in order to make it actually have some chance to work out.

Eventually, the four guys were heading out of the arcade, and Randy was looking right at Jeff, as if feeling like this next step that he was going to be bringing up was going to be vital and stuff. "Can you at least tell me that you have some idea on what the fucking hell we are supposed to be looking for? I mean, come on, this is kind of insane, and I think that even you understand this right now." Randy was saying, and then after he had said that to Jeff, he was wondering if he was going to be getting Jeff to actually listen to him and stuff.

"I don't know what I am supposed to be looking for. That being said, I am going to try and see what I can do. And maybe if we team up, and we work together while we look, the whole thing is going to be over before we even fucking knew that it had started." Jeff said, and then Randy was laughing, as if thinking that what Jeff was saying was one of the most rich things he ever heard.

"I will see if something like this is holding up. I mean, I am rooting for this to happen. But at the same time, I just feel like this is going to be a bit more rough than you are thinking that it will be. I mean, if there is something going on here, then the people running this are not going to be fucking stupid enough to try and let the news be brought to the public." Randy was telling Jeff, hoping that he was going to speak some sense into the bloke, and that this guy would actually listen to him.

As Jeff and the guys were walking around for about twenty minutes, Troy was feeling like he could ask the one question that actually did matter in his mind. "Why the hell do you care what happens to Jane in the first place? I mean, you seen her once or twice, and the times that you guys met, she was a total fucking asshole to you? I mean, with all due respect, does it really matter in your life if she is going to be found or not?" Troy felt like it was a valid question, and one that he would love Jeff to enlighten him on, to see what was even going to come from this.

"I mean, even if she was an asshole to me, I am just going to have to try and put this whole thing behind me. I mean, I don't want anything to happen to her. I think that she deserves better than to go missing because of the fact that she was a rude bitch to me back in the day." Jeff said point blank, and he was hoping that this was all that there would be to the matter.

"I guess that you probably have better ideals than most of us do. I don't really know if this is something to be super proud of, but I think that it is something that should be keeping things together. I mean, if I were dealing with this myself, and I was choosing what to do, I would admit that it was sad what was happening to her, but I could not be able to get myself to be too angry over this. I would just tell myself that she would have deserved a better fate." Keith said, and then he was scratching his chin a bit, wondering what he was going to be hearing from Jeff, if he was going to get a lecture from Jeff on morals and other crap.

Eventually, Jeff was seeing a black car, and there was something about that car that was giving him the feeling this was where he needed to go. So as he was feeling this way, he was coming right to where the car was, and this was when all three of the other guys were feeling like Jeff had totally gone insane and stuff. That they were feeling like he needed to be realistic on this.

As this was going on in Jeff's mind, he was seeing that the car was having a driver that looked to be about forty or so, and Jeff was glad that this car was parked in a area where barely any people were around. Since the person who was next to him was going to make Jeff go crazy and punish everybody who had been involved in something like this right from the start. The other three were seeing what he was looking at, and knew what was going on at this mind.

Jeff was knocking right at the window of the car, and he was wondering what he was even going to do to make any of this whole thing work. Jeff was feeling like he was just going to have to be finding out what this person was even wanting to do with Jane in the first place. He was feeling like virtually none of this was going to be working out in his favor, no matter what the final result of it was going to even fucking be.

Eventually, the window was being lowered, and then that was Jane was looking at Jeff. She was glancing at him, as if she could not fucking believe that she was going to have to start to rely on Jeff to try and save her. She was feeling like this was something that she did not deserve that fate of, and no matter what she was thinking of Jeff, she would rather put her fate on this guy than she would be to put her fate on anything else.

"What were you guys doing in here?" Jeff asked, and he was trying to make it seem like this was something that was not bothering him at all. He was wanting to make it look like he had no relationship to this. The guy was then smiling a bit, just thinking that maybe he could get this new rising star out of the way. If he could get Jeffrey Woods gone, then he would be considered the fucking hero for the job, and nobody was ever going to try and question his wishes to be involved in this town ever again. This guy would be brought right into the chamber of being a high ranking member of the crew.

He was coming right out of the car, and then he was going right to Jeff. Trying to pretend like this whole thing was a casual conversation, and acting as if as long as they talked with each other, there was going to be virtually nothing holding them back at all. "Hey, this is just a simple business discussion. I would not be too worried about something like this. I think that you should just be heading along in your merry way. We will be fine here." The man was telling Jeff, trying to make it look like this was something that would not even matter in the first place.

"I highly doubt that there is a simple discussion happening here, and I feel like I need to try and figure out what the hell is happening here." Jeff was saying, and he was looking right at Jane, as if he was feeling like the longer he was going to be casual with him, the better that it was going to be, and the more the man was willing to speak with him and stuff. Jeff felt like none of this was even going to matter.

"I highly doubt that it is really that simple." Jeff said, and then after he was telling the guy that, he was wondering if what he was saying was going to be resonating with this guy. "I have no time to mess with people who do not understand how much the pain of a broken town drags me down." Jeff was playing this statement off with such a level of stern-ness that he was starting to feel like this man was going to be forced to believe in him a bit more. To see that Jeff was not exactly messing around.

The man was thinking that as long as he played a good discussion with Jeff, there was going to be a level of buying that he was going to have. That there was something to what Jeff would say that was going to make him think that Jeff was not totally out of this league. "You know young man, I think that you might just have to accept the fact that people are doing the best that they can. They can't be forced to fight a bunch of things that they have no real say in. But I doubt that you want to really listen to me."

"Somehow I doubt that you really care. I mean, that is a missing person right here. And you are just carrying her around like she is some damn trophy, and you expect me to believe that there is anything of any form of noble intentions here? You can bring her to the police, and then things would be done." Jeff said, and he was slowly looking at the guys, as if telling them to go off and find the police. They did not seem to quite get his cues as they were just standing there shocked.

Eventually, the man grabbed Jeff's face and then slammed his face right down onto the hood of the car. Then after that, Jeff was aware that he was having every right in the world to fight back, and he was going to be doing just this. He was not going to let a single person in the world act like they had a right to literally abuse him in any way. Jeff grabbed that person and then he threw the person against a wall.

After the man was against the wall for a moment, this was when Jane was seeing that she was going to possibly have a chance to get the hell out of the area, and Jeff was really hoping that she was going to be taking advantage of this time, or else he would have been doing all of this for literally nothing. Then after he was thinking that, he was starting to get ready to continue his fight, as he went to the other guy, and kicked him right in the face, to give him a bloody nose.

After he had done that, and Jeff was finally able to have a chance to keep things going, the man was getting up again and then punched Jeff right in the eye. He thought that getting Jeff in the eye was going to possibly make a difference, and really start to bring this guy down. But then after that, Jeff was grabbing him by the shirt. Then he was slamming the other guy at the wall, and then he was punching the guy right in the face over and over again. After several punches, he was seeing the other guy looking as if he was already losing what he had left in him. As if he could not believe that a sixteen year old man had just kicked his ass in the matter of a minute or two.

After Jeff had done that, and he was feeling like he had finally made this guy start to suffer a bit, Jeff had dropped him, and let him fall right down to the ground. Then he was seeing Randy, Keith and Troy just looking like they could not believe the sight that Jeff just created. And a sight that he was looking like he did not care about. He had been willing to beat a guy nearly to death in public, where everybody could see what he had done, and he was clearly not giving a fuck what he had just done.

"We should be bringing Jane back home. No point in having us do any of this if she is going to not even be back home soon or anything." Jeff said, and he was wondering what was going to happen now. He was feeling like if he had been more upfront with these people, such a thing was not going to happen. But to a extent, Jeff was finding himself not caring what other people were thinking about him. He had done what he had felt like he had to do, and he was going to go through anything to make sure this was all going to be coming together.

After Jeff was finally feeling like this whole thing was working out and that he was getting something all put together, there was something else that he was feeling like he needed to try and piece together. The entire time that he was walking back, he was feeling like he had just come onto something much bigger.

When they had reached Jane's house, Jeff heard something that sent shivers to his spine. He was hearing a really loud noise. Something like a metal grinder going off, and it was going on for several seconds, and Jeff was just shaken to the core the entire time that he had been hearing this. He had no idea what the hell he was going to do now. He was too scared for everything that had happened for him to finally feel like he had made the right choice. And given what would happen soon afterwards, he was feeling there was something to pay him back for this.

Jeff got home, and as he was doing this, there was something that was just making him feel really strange and awful on the inside. He had a terrible feeling that there was just something going on, and he was going to possibly have to defend himself a bit. No matter how awful such a thing was, Jeff had no idea what he was going to do. He headed right towards his bedroom, feeling like the faster that he was going to get this fear out of his mind and be safe in his room, the better that things were going to be.

Once Jeff was inside of his room, he was seeing that there was nothing inside of it from the shapes in the darkness and he had turned on the light. He was feeling like there was nothing else that was going to make this actually seem like it was calming down at all, but in a way, he was just not caring all that much. He laid down on the bed, feeling like he was going to get some time to himself, and not get people to freak out of his presence.

As he was looking at the living room several feet away, he was seeing that there was another news report. Seeing that made him feel deeply uncomfortable, and he was feeling like he was just needing to see what was going on there. So with that, he was going right towards those people, wondering what the report was saying, and why he was so scared over such a thing. There was something that really was telling him to also not go and look, on the fear that what was going to be seen would start to expose him for what he had done earlier. After all, he did make some scene here. He did not really make any attempt to hide his actions since despite what they were being over the top dangerous, he was feeling like he had done the right thing.

"Beat out fight happens near coffee shop down town." The report said, and Jeff was feeling like this was going to be about him and that guy earlier, and that it was going to be related to the whole Jane case. Jeff was telling himself that as much as he was not scared to accept the truth, he did not want this event to be the news, and he was wishing the event report would come away as fast as possible.

"Man who thought that he had found missing girl Jane Arkansas beat up a man near a coffee shop. The fight happened right next to a blue car, and the fight was broken up when there was fear of police showing up. The person who was beaten up who was accused to have Jane with him talked with the police about the matter and just confirmed that this was his long time girlfriend. While this woman and Jane looked alike, no relations were made. Jane still is not yet to be found." After the man was saying this, Jeff was very confused at the entire thing. There was virtually none of this report that had made any sense to him, and Jeff was wondering if there were two similar incidents and if Jeff really did find Jane.

Jeff was looking right at his father, and he was looking at him, as if unsure of what to tell Jeff. But he was feeling like if he was going to just talk about the move, even though that was a old story, then it was not going to be all that big of a deal. "Hey, I know that we have had many issues on the whole move and stuff. But I am glad that you are at least smart enough to not drag yourself down over this. I thought that you were going to be like that dumbass, and make things just even worse for everybody. It makes me feel better knowing that you have at least some sense of behavior going for you."

After Jeff heard that, he was rubbing his eyes, and then he was just unsure of what he was going to say at all. "Dad, I was hoping that I can talk to you about some things. You know, see what I can learn to understand from you." Jeff had said, and then he was seeing his father looking like this was a bit strange, but that he was not going to argue with Jeff trying to discourse with him.

"I was wondering what you are really doing at your job. I mean, I know that you claim to be a desk worker and stuff, but I am wondering if it goes any deeper than that. You do not have to lie to me. Is there something going on that is much deeper?" Jeff asked, and then he was seeing his father looking like he was just trying to understand what Jeff was even trying to indicate here. If Jeff was finally going crazy.

"What do you mean? I mean, sure we sometimes do deals that are not the most moral as some would say. But we do not do anything like you are probably fearing and stuff. What are you even trying to indicate here?" Jeff's father asked, and before he was even going to try and get Jeff to respond, he was seeing his son raise up his right index finger as if silently telling him that he was not willing to listen to the excuses, and that he was going to be the one who was going to speak. Jeff's father was fearing that there was going to be something that would go on and expose him.

"I know about the things like the grinder. I know all about the missing people. I know that there must be like some big out drug case going on here. I mean, you might not want me to say this, but I know of the deal that you made with Jane before she went missing." Jeff said, and he was seeing his father looking like if Jeff did not stop talking about this, then things were only going to be getting much worse, and he knew that Jeff was going to ruin everything that had happened.

"That is none of your business. I was just simply doing my job. I think that you probably understand that. I mean, I have no idea what is going on here just as much as you don't." Jeff's father said, and then Jeff was standing up. That comment made him totally over it. He was wanting to see what he was going to do to get his father to finally get it in his head that he wanted nothing more than to actually have a open and clear discussion.

"So you do admit that you are actually doing under the table deals? Why are you doing any of this in the first place? Would it really have been that big of a deal to just leave these type of things alone?" Jeff asked, and he was wondering what he was going to be getting his father to say. If he was actually going to make this man finally open up. There was something going on, and this was bringing Jeff really close to finally exposing it.

"Yes, there are some under the table deals. I mean, we are literally in the middle of running a business. Of course we do not really know what we have to do all the time. We are just given weekly tasks, and we just do it. No matter what we are doing, it is all because we are actually helping out the town. Besides, do you really think that it is something as simple as a petty drug deal ring?" After Jeff's father asked, this was when Jeff was seeing his father looking like he was wanting Jeff to be realistic about this whole thing.

"I did not come here, and throw away everything that I have ever had where we used to live just to watch you guys ruin our family name by doing deals and doing things that you should never have gotten into. I feel like you really need to see how insane something like this really is. Do you not realize that you have ruined everything for no good reason?" Jeff asked, and then he was asking his dad this, his father was just over this debate, and decided not to make a fuss out of it.

"You came here because you were told to, and we know that you would never be able to truly watch yourself. You may be acting like you could be able to handle this on your own, but we all know that something like this is just never going to happen." After he was saying that to Jeff, this was when he was tired of it, and Jeff was just walking back to his room. He had wished that there was a way that he was going to get his father to be honest with him for once, and show him the issues that had been going on.

As Jeff was sitting down at his bed, he was wanting to go out there and find something he can do. He wanted to find Jane. He wanted to find that person who tried hard to find her as well, but failed to do so. He was wanting a sense of who his allies were in the first place. He wanted to truly understand what was going on here, and not make any real issues on it all.

"I need to figure this shit out. I mean, the longer that I sit here, and don't try to understand, the longer that it is going to take for me to really know what I am supposed to do." Jeff was saying, and then after he was saying this, he was shaking his head, sort of unsure of what he was even going to try and say now. Not like it would even matter at all what he was feeling.

He was going to be alone, and he was thinking that Randy and Troy and Keith were never going to truly understand his perspective, as annoying as that would be. Because they had lived there all of their lives, so they must have felt like this was just how things truly were. He was thinking that they would try and fight him on this, and make a huge issue out of things that were not all that big of a deal. That was almost certainly what they were going to accuse of him over.

But there was always something that he wanted to do if he was going to truly show people that he was not going to be letting this whole thing get too much worse. He had to find a way to fight for the people in this town. To fight for them to see that this was not normal. That this was not acceptable. He did not know if something like this was going to truly come through to the towns people. But he was wanting to try with every ounce of strength that he had to break through to these people.

Jeff got up, and he was feeling like he needed to try and see those guys again. He was wanting to finally put some of the truth behind him, and he was wanting them to see what he was feeling, and he was wanting them to help him with all of this. That way, he would be able to have somebody who would be able to help him no matter what the issue was. He was feeling like this was the most important that he could do. No matter how much he was feeling like they could not want to help him, he was needing that help, and he was going to show them what was wrong with the town if he was going to progress at all with this.

It was strange how things were going at this rate. But in a way, he was sort of finding himself not even caring anymore. Jeff was going to see them, and he was going to do what he could to make it all work. He was heading right towards where Jane was, and he was feeling like maybe getting some answers from her family was going to help him along the way. That getting her parents to talk with him was probably the most important thing he could do.

No matter what was happening, Jeff knew that they must be able to put aside their strange perception of Jeff and help him out find their own daughter if he was feeling the need to. He must have known that there was no way that they could tell him off, no matter what the case really was. Jeff needed to see what he could do to get them to talk. If they talked, he had a chance to show people that he was going to try and clean this town up and make things right. Do something that the police should have been doing this entire time, and not just brushing things off.

Jeff eventually was getting nearly half way to the house, as if he was feeling like talking to these people was going to get Randy and Troy and Keith to tell him to let it go, and let the police and the authorities take care of it, and then his parents were just going to try and find a way to defend themselves, and act like what they were doing were totally wrong about things going on here.

Jeff was tired of the way his parents were treating him and Liu. They treated him like garbage, and they were treating him like he was a stupid fucking kid who had no idea what was going on. He was a man who was finally starting to feel like he was sane. He was a man who was finally feeling like he had a chance to pull things together. Jeff knew that he was being the most responsible person in this town, and that if this was the case, then the bar has gotten very low, and that there was something he needed to do to make people see he would not take it any further.

As Jeff was eventually reaching the door of Jane's house, he was knocking on it very roughly, and he was mainly doing it to sort of get them to listen to him. He was thinking that the family was not going to be very glad to see him here, and that they were just going to tell him to go away. But if he told them that he was the one who hung out with Jane a few days ago, they might finally be willing to just open up to him and tell him the truth. Then things were going to be fine. Jeff was just feeling like if he was going to have to just find a way to support them as well if they were really needing something like this.

Eventually, Jane's father answered the door, and he was looking at Jeff, as if thinking that this was some gross joke. He was about to start to tell Jeff off when he was stopping her father from even speaking. He was wanting this guy to listen to him, and he was going to just make his voice heard, no matter what he was going to be feeling here. "I am here because I want to help you find your daughter. I have a feeling that the police do not care much for you and your daughter, and I want to try and make some things right here. If you are willing to give me a chance that is." Jeff was right to the point, and he was seeing his father looking happy and scared that a guy like Jeff was talking to him about this at all.

"Fine, if you say that you want to help, then maybe we can see what we can do to make things work." Jane's father was saying, and then Jeff was being allowed inside of the house, and Jeff was hoping that he could talk to this man, and actually get the two of them to be able to get something on the work here.

"What were you wanting to do to help Jane out? I mean, I don't even know you. There is no real reason for you to do something like this." He was saying, as if just trying to find something that was going to keep this whole thing to at least some level of honesty and professionalism. "I mean, this whole thing is just a bit strange is all. If I had known you, it would not matter as much."

"I am new to this town. I was wanting to have a nice life and time here. As nice as my parents were going to get me at a town that I wanted to have nothing to do with. I was hoping to be fine and stuff. But then I found out about what happened with Jane, and other things. I want to find out how to help." Jeff said, as if feeling like what he had said was perfectly fine and natural here.

"Fine. I can try to tell you my story. I hope that you are not going to be too annoyed with it. I mean, I just want somebody to talk with. To help me with this whole ordeal. And when I see you, then perhaps you can help me with that." After he had said that to Jeff, that was when the two of them were starting to talk. He started to tell Jeff his story and was hoping he was going to see what Jeff would have to say at this whole thing.

...

As Keith was explaining his story a bit, the sheriff had to stop at a certain point because they had been sitting down for over an hour. Besides, he felt like he had heard some form of a noise, and given the story that had been told, and everything else going on, he was actually kind of scared over what he could be possibly seeing. "How much longer of this story is left?" The sheriff asked, and he was not trying to make it look like he was tired of this, but he wanted to see what was even going to be coming along with this in the first place.

"The thing is that we are at least getting to the point where some of the more interesting stuff is coming along. I thought that maybe you would want a starting base on where you are going to take this story." Keith said, and what he was saying was true, and he was not really feeling like what he had done was all that wrong. He had felt like maybe he did go a little long, but he wanted to establish that Jeff was not always wanting to kill people. Sure he might have been strange with his behavior, but he had felt like the guy was having some form of sanity for the most part. He wanted to just see what the sheriff would even say here for the most part anyways.

"This was just a lot longer than I expected. I thought that you were just going to explain the killing. That you were not going to be getting into the motives of it all." After the sheriff was saying this, he was looking right at Keith, as if feeling like the next part of this was going to be the most important part of what he was saying. "But what are you feeling about this whole Jane thing? Considering the fact that Jane is the main reason he went along and did this whole thing in the first place." After he had said that to Keith, there was a part of him that was wanting to be honest about it. But at the same time, he was hoping that the guy was going to see that things were not as easy as Jeff or anybody else was feeling like it would.

"I mean, I guess that maybe Jeff does have some valid points. But I did not think that you guys were trying to go on and make things worse. I always felt like there was something going on here. I never thought, that even with some of the problems I have had with the police, that you were wanting to make things any worse for the people who lived here." After he had said that to the sheriff, he was wondering what the sheriff was going to actually say to this. If the sheriff was going to actually appreciate the sentiment that Keith had made here.

"I am glad that you are able to see it our way though. You know, that you are not thinking that we are some evil bastards or something like that. We do not want to be brushing you off or anything. We just have things that we are worried about, and some things that we want to help take care of on our own regard." The sheriff was saying, but there was something to his voice that was making Keith see that maybe the sheriff was not totally sure on what he was saying. As if he was feeling like there was more to this than he wanted to admit.

"But do you feel like every single person in this town is noble? Do you feel like some of them might just be in it for the money? In it for the power and the fame? I think that something like this is a valid concern that Jeff does have. Even if I feel like he might be going crazy, I feel like there is something that he is trying to convey that is important. But I truly don't know what the hell I am supposed to be feeling here. I just feel like if Jeff did not enter my life, I would never have had to have this debate at all, and everything was going to be fine." After Keith had admitted that, he was looking right at the sheriff, just trying to sound mature, but did not know how he was going to do such a thing at the moment.

"Trust me when I say that this whole thing is a lot to take in when it is your first time. I know how you feel. This whole thing was too much for me to deal when when I was your age. Feeling like the people at this town do not care. I think that you need to understand that we are better than that. We do care. Or many of us do. But we are just too tied to the wall to do anything about some of the issues that do matter." The sheriff admitted, wondering what Keith was going to try and say to this. If he was wanting to actually believe in what he was saying here.

"Then I guess that you can see why Jeff reacted the way that he did. I mean, I think that it might be a bit much to say that he was right in what he did. I do not feel that way, and I hate what he did to Troy and Randy. But with the parents, with the people in this town who are running a big business, I can almost see where he is coming from. I can almost see why he was feeling like he had no choice to do what he did. Even if it is odd for me to fully consider." Keith said, and then he was just wondering why he was admitting that Jeff might have been right.

"I guess that if I had moved here myself for the first time, I would be feeling like this whole thing was just too much. I guess that in a way, if you are growing up a certain way, everything that is different is something you hate. I guess it is all a matter of perspective, and what you grow up with." Keith conceded, feeling like the strange philosophy of this was something that he would never have wanted to consider. Especially for the killer of his friends. But at the same time, he just had to be realistic and stuff.

"I mean, you are just trying to look at things naturally. I think that you are being very wise for a man of your age to do something like that. To actually think about all the sides of the debate. Even if you hate a side, you are at least willing to see where it is coming from and stuff." After the sheriff was feeling like he was able to see what was good in this guy, he was aware that there was more to this that he needed to see. There was more that he had to try and understand. No matter what it was going to take in order to get there.

"Do you feel like Jeff is going to continue his killing? Do you think that Jeff wants to even keep killing? I mean, he might not be a saint by any means of the word. But seriously, there is no way that he actually wants to do this. There must be a level of hatred that he feels about this whole thing." The sheriff was asking, just trying to make sense out of this whole thing. Like there was something keeping this together.

"I don't think that he enjoys it very much. But I think that he will do it if he feels like for some reason this is the correct method of going through with wiping away all the dirt and the corruption of this town. I feel like he might try to be like Batman on that level." Keith said, shrugging, as if thinking that this was all that he needed to try and say here.

"If that is the case, then we have a long way to go. We have a lot of stuff to try and do to make sure he does not kill again. Even if he is a technical sense doing favors for this city, we are not allowed to have this continue. So I guess that this will be my next step." He was saying, hating what he had said, but also thinking that maybe there was something good that he could get out of this whole thing.


	6. One Girl With Ten Brothers

Chapter 6: One Girl with Ten Brothers

-Todd Jr's POV- March 21 1993, 3:14 am - It was around this time that night when I was sitting down as most of my younger siblings were asleep, and my parents had come in with our new born youngest brother. His name was Ridge, and he was the last one to be added to our family. My parents were deciding that this one would be the last one, since they were both getting kind of old, and they were unsure of how many more they were able to have before being worn down by all the responsibilities of having a kid. In a way, I felt bad for the little kid already. The fact that their parents were not going to be as invested in him as they were with the early ones, such as myself.

I am the oldest of the whole bunch. With ten younger siblings, I was sort of used to the fact that every couple of years, my parents were having another kid, and I was also getting less and less worried about what they were doing because over time, I was closer to moving out, and in a few months, if I was lucky, I was going to be able to move out and work on a job promotion that had been given to me.

The second oldest is Gabriel, and he is eighteen years old, two years younger than me. He might be the second oldest, but in all honesty, despite the fact that he would get defensive every time he heard this, he was the second dumbest. Trust me, I will cover the first dumbest in a bit. Despite that, he was the nicest of the bunch. The third one is Josiah, and is fifteen years old. Despite being a good five years younger than me, I was thinking he would be the most ready to take my mantle of watching the family when I left. Seth was the fourth oldest, at eleven years old, with the four years between Josiah and Seth being the largest. He was the one that tried his best to go into the comedic arts, for some reason. Jack is the fifth one, at nine years old, and he is the dumbest one out of the bunch, but since he was nine, I had more hope that he could eventually beat Gabe.

Then we have Lydia, who is the only girl in the bunch, and the middle child. She is also the only one that was not a biological child, but none of the children after Josiah and maybe Seth even knew that. She was seven years old, and the one that most of us are a bit more protective towards due to being the only girl.

The oldest of the younger bunch is Henry, who is five years old, and he is already going to be growing up to be the darkest one with his gloomy personality so far. The next two are twins, and their names were Dylan and Drake. They were three years old, and they were totally different in every single regard from the early personalities we could already see. Then we have Levi, who is the second youngest at just two years old. Despite his younger age, he does seem to be pretty smart, being able to speak full sentences already. And now we are at Ridge. I was wondering what he was going to be like as time would unfold.

My parents were looking right at me when they were looking right at me. "How have you been so far? We are tired right now. I hope that this one right here does not make much of a ruckus so far." My father, Todd Senior said, and then he was starting to lay down on the couch with my mom right next to him, as she was carrying the kid. I was just wondering when the first steps to this new life were really going to unfold, and I was wondering if I was exactly wanting to know what they were really feeling.

"I am glad that it went well at least. Well, it seems like everything is going to be all good for now. I think that I should probably be heading to sleep soon. I have a date tonight." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing my parents looking right at me, as if shocked to see that I was going on a date.

"Who is the lucky person who gets to go out with you?" They were asking, trying to be casual about it, but they were clearly wanting to know as much as possible. I was then thinking that they might not be ready for all the details just yet, but I might as well just give them the easy details on this. Since they did deserve that much at least.

"Her name is Bebe. We went to school together, and met each other again. I thought that it would be really nice to ask her out, and she said yes. I am going to be doing my best to make sure that I am going to be at my A game though. Since I don't want her to think that I am some failure right away." I said, and I was remembering the last relationship that I had. Did not go well at all, and it was something that was always getting to me. The fact that I should have truly gone all in on this relationship, and I failed to do just that, and that I had failed.

"Well, that's great. We were wondering when the next time you were finally going to go out was going to be. We were worried that you would just totally reject the idea of dating and stuff." My mother said, and she was looking like she was truly happy for me. I was looking down and nodded, and I was starting to tell myself that she was being genuine. That she was not just saying something to be making me feel better and stuff.

"Thanks. It is just a bit strange is all. I never thought myself that I would be ready for such a thing. But I decided that I needed to put it behind me. I mean, the last time I dated was three years ago, and I need to just not be letting that drag me down forever." I said, and I was going right into my room. I was glad that if for nothing else, my mom was treating us all better. She was a bit distant for the first several years of my life. But after Lydia came into the mix, she seemed to be a totally different person, and she seemed to be somebody who wanted to make things better for us. She actually looked and sounded like somebody who really cared for us. And I knew that in a way, even if she did not know it, I would have to be grateful to Lydia forever for this.

I laid down on my bed, and I was turning off the light. I was ready to go on that date with Bebe. I mean, I never saw her much in school, and I was always just sort of noticing all of the sexy girls and stuff. But I was starting to see as I grew older that the personality was what mattered more. Not the looks of the person. I mean, I knew that I was kind of being awful about that. But in a way, I did not care back in the day. I just wanted to get what I thought was the best route out of this. But now that it seems like it does not matter anymore who I go after, I decided that I needed to give Bebe a chance.

I was just glad that in the end, I was never rude to her or anything, and that I did treat her like a proper human being and stuff. If I had not, then she probably would not have been very thrilled about giving me a chance and stuff. I think that she would have just told me that she would want nothing to do with me. And that I was just going to only make things worse.

I was never the best student in the world, or anywhere near the best person in the world. But I was not an asshole to people who did not deserve it. I was just somebody who did not really reach out to those who needed this the most. It was something that I was not proud of, but then again people can't be proud of everything.

I closed my eyes, and I was ready to sleep, taking on a new life of trying to have a girlfriend, and hoping that I would finally have a job now in the future, while also seeing how life with the youngest child was going to be. Seeing at the very least the first few months of their life and who they could become in the future.

...

Gabriel's POV -March 21 1993 4:32 am-: I was asleep for a while, but there was just something about what was going on that made me wake right up. I just felt like I needed to see what the hell was even happening now. I was walking out of the room, and I saw that my parents were sleeping with the new baby, and I was telling myself that it would be best to not wake them up. You know, to not get them mad at us, and to make them think that I was still asleep. Just because I was the second oldest one did not mean that they were going to have to be giving me liberties with staying up too late and stuff. There was still a minimal amount of rules that they had wished that even Todd, Josiah and I followed.

I was needing to see what was truly bothering me though, so I went to the outside back yard. I was just telling myself that I would just look for a bit, and then I would head right back home, and pretend like nothing ever happened. I thought that it was going to be all fine when I was seeing what was bothering me. Besides, I was feeling like when I would ask around, people were just going to be a bit annoyed with me. I needed to be on my own, and I was needing to just see how I was going to come back home in a manner that was not going to get my parents pissed at me for staying out really late and stuff. Since that was something they always hated when I did it, even though I had my share of doing it a lot.

I was getting right into the small set of woods that was about two blocks away from my house. There was not nearly enough to call it a full on forest. But it was enough to still make it a little hard to navigate if you were not fully prepared and stuff. But I was telling myself that no matter what was going to happen, I was just going to have to find a way to keep myself away from any trouble out here. Did not want to be the next person who was going to be going missing in a large town that had missing persons cases on a regular basis and stuff. I felt like my family deserved better than that.

I was seeing a glowing path a little bit away from me. I did not know if I was imagining the path, or if it was real. Either way, I felt like I needed to try and see what the path was going to offer me. I needed to see if this was the way that I needed to go. So with that, I was heading on right towards the path, telling myself that when I would see the end result, it would make sense.

The pathway was a little bit longer than I had expected it to be. Mainly because when I was younger Todd and I would play here, back when there was only one other sibling. But once we had Seth into the business, our parents were scared of us going in there so they were telling us that we were no longer allowed to go there. Todd was pissed when that happened, claiming that since he was in third grade, he was old enough to be ready to be doing stuff like that. Obviously looking back, both of us were able to see how silly we were being. But at the time, we wanted to get out there and have a good time. And we had felt that since Josiah was four, he would have been old enough to do basic stuff to help out with Seth and stuff. But they said that with more kids, they needed more people to help watch out.

I mean, in the end, I am glad that we had the siblings that we got. But at the time, it was always annoying to know that they did not want us to have some form of liberty and freedom because of their focus on a bunch of guys coming into the family. But once we were teenagers, they admitted that it was now our choice to do this type of stuff if we wished. But at that point, I had already lost interest in this, and decided not to be doing it anymore.

But now going down this path again, it should have been an experience that brought me back to the good days. But in a way, it was all so long ago that it was hard to even try and act like I remembered it all. To be honest, I did not remember it, and I was sort of just going to be lying if I would say that putting it away was hurting me anymore.

Besides, I was thinking that if some of my younger siblings were to try and go there, it might be a bit scary. I mean, sure Jack, Lydia and maybe even Henry were not all that bad, the third still being a push, but I would not want any of the younger four to be going there since there could be no way we could watch them at all.

My thoughts were slowly coming to a halt when I was seeing a small hole in the ground. I did not know what I was to expect, but at the same time, I knew one thing was for sure. This was going to be my answer, and this was going to have to be the area that I was going to see what was keeping me up. Seeing what was bothering me the last half hour or so. With that, I walked right towards the hole, and I put my hands in it, trying to get to see what was in it.

I spent about two minutes or so digging and getting my right arm dirty, which I hated doing to the clothes that I had worked so hard to make, and pulled out the item that I had wanted to find. It was a small bag, and I was dropping the bag to see what was inside of it. I felt like this one single item was all that I really needed here.

I was seeing something like a silver rod with a small opening at the top. I knew that whatever was going to come out of this was from that hole. I saw a red button at the area directly below the small hole. Then I was holding it tightly as I pressed the red button, hoping that this was not going to be nearly as dangerous as I was fearing that it would have been. I was seeing that what was coming out of it was something like a strange blue blade. Something like a small energy sword that went up about eighteen inches or so. I was wondering why I would be finding this, and what I was going to be doing with it.

I was scared of what I was going to be seeing, and I was scared of what this was going to be meaning in the future. I decided that I would not be thinking of it too much as I was turning off the blade, and putting it at my left pocket. I was going to be returning home, and I was going to keep it secret. I wanted to have nobody know of my discovery because I did not want to be forced to share it. I thought that having it was going to be the one thing that could be able to start to make myself feel a little bit special.

I was slowly getting back to my house, and the longer that I was heading there, the more that I was feeling like I was going to be getting in trouble with my parents, and I was wondering if this was even going to be worth it at all. But I did not really have any clue what was going to be happening. I was feeling like this was going to be all over with soon enough, and I can be able to put it all behind me and stuff.

I went right back inside, and I was going to my room. As I was getting near my bed, I was looking right at Todd, and I was seeing that he was already well out. I wished that I was like that as well. But I felt like what I did was worth it as I was placing the hilt right under my bed, and I was never going to show anybody what I was seeing, hoping that every day I could hide it was going to save me a bit longer from sharing.

...

Josiah's POV -March 21 1993 2:12 pm-: I was getting ready to hang out with some friends, and just head out to do some music practice. Not really giving of a mind to what was going on around me. I was sort of just doing my own thing, and as long as people did not bother me too much, I was going to respect their space and their time. I just felt like I was needing to try and keep things together. But something stopped me pretty quickly when I was going by, just something that I should have been ready for. But for some reason, I was never truly ready for. Something that no matter how many times it has happened since I was just four years old, I would never be fully used to something like this.

I was seeing my mother holding a young baby in a blue blanket as my father was getting ready to be heading out to work. He was already pretty late as it was, and I was thinking that he did not want to make an even bigger problem out of it, just because he just had a new kid and stuff. Something that was just common practice every couple of years. He was saying something like having a great day as he was heading out, and he was heading out to make more important business votes for trying to determine how the state was going to be handling itself for the next several years.

My father, Todd Senior, was a senator from our state. He had been elected to his third term a few months ago, and he was already starting to have some seniority to the entire senate as there were many people who were just coming along for their first term and stuff. He was not wanting to make anybody feel like they could question his dedication to his job. He wanted people to see that he was still willing to do his job, no matter what was going on. He had felt like it was the only thing that was sort of able to justify having all of these kids to the people at his job with him.

As he was out of the house, I was looking right at the new kid. "What is his name?" I asked, trying to get right to the main question. I mean, I wanted to go out really badly, and I did not want to get stalled by another kid and stuff. But there was always something kind of exciting about this. The fact that there was going to be another life that I would see grow over time, and become a great person. Or I was hoping that they were going to be a great person. Even though I was probably going to be leaving when he was like three or four years old, and I was going to be not seeing them again for several months or even a year or two at a time, which could be kind of hard for him.

"Ridge." My mother said, and I was thinking that this was a pretty interesting name, and I was wondering what was giving them the motivation behind that name. I mean, the others one had at least some sign of making sense, but Ridge is a name I have never seen with a person before. So I guess that maybe that is something that can be very unique about him right away. If people really wanted the name of a child to be the most unique thing about them and stuff.

"Interesting name. What was your motivation to it?" I asked, thinking that she would be telling me the truth, and that she would not mind just indulging my curious mindset a little bit. But I was thinking that perhaps it was not going to be all that big of a deal. She was just looking like this would be a really interesting story to tell me, if I had cared to actually listen to it. I did not know if I did, but I was the one who had brought it up. So I guess it was my fault in a way.

"Yeah, you might as well tell me. Besides, I would probably be wondering for the rest of my life what is going on here." I said, and them my mother seemed like she was going to enjoy telling me something that was probably going to be a really anticlimactic story. Even she was looking like she was aware of how much it was going to be letting me down. But I was just thinking that being silent was going to be the best way to just get to know the truth here.

"Well, he was somebody that worked with your father when they were younger. In a way, this man was able to help teach Todd how to be a better person, and Todd felt like he needed to pay back in a way. Call out his existence on that our final kid was going to be named after him. I just hope that it is a honor that is going to stick around in the future." After my mother had said that, I was nodding, thinking that this was the most that I ever heard about my father in his previous work life. I just wanted to know what was going on with him and stuff. I felt like I needed to see what can keep Todd remembering him for over twenty years. But I decided that I would stick to the other thing they had just brought up.

"So you finally decided that this is going to be the final one after all?" I asked, and she was looking like this was something that I would appreciate. Something that I would not at all be against, since most of the older ones seemed to be kind of losing the excitement out of having kids and stuff. And this was something that we could be able to fully appreciate.

"Yeah, I mean, ten boys with one girl right in the middle. We thought that it would be rather convenient to have that be the set up. It was not the plan, but it was something that we thought could keep things in a nice sort of round about way." After my mother had said that, I did not really get it, but I decided that I would not argue with it. I just was having a hard time understanding the logic of having eleven kids in the first place. Any normal family would have stopped after me or Seth.

"Sorry to change the subjects completely, but I was planning on going out to hang out with some of my friends today. Would that be fine with you? If you need me to stay around for a bit, then I guess that it would not matter." I said, and I was saying that with only mild sincerity. I mean, I was able to raise them, but at the same time, I wanted to have a fucking life with my friends, and I wanted to actually do stuff.

"I don't mind. I mean, there is almost always at least one of you guys around to help if we really need it. So I would not really think that it matters too much if you go out for a while." After my mother said that, I nodded, feeling like I was going to be heading out. Thinking that I was going to just take advantage of this right before they could be able to tell me other wise. I was not wanting to ruin these chances since I knew for a fact that if I stayed around for another twenty to thirty minutes, she was going to change her mind since it was going to be too much for them and stuff.

"Hey Josiah..." My mother was calling out to me, and I was turning right around, wondering what she was going to be saying to me. I was sort of unsure if I wanted to hear it. But then again, she was being nice to me, and I remembered that the last time she had any coldness to us was when I was only eight years old, which was seven years ago. "Have some fun out there. Don't get yourself into too much trouble."

With that, I headed out of the house, and I was going to be out for a bit, and I was not going to let anybody stop me from just having a good time for once. As I was going to be heading out to my friends, I was wondering how they would react if I told them that my parents had yet another kid. They would be thinking that they have gone too far with this, to which I would kind of agree with them.

...

Seth's POV -March 21 1993 3:26 pm-: I was hanging out with some of my friends, just trying to perform a comedy skit, and I was wondering if I was going to be able to put up a performance at the rate that I was going. I mean, I was always putting in my best effort to make the funniest jokes possible, and I was really hoping that people would be able to star to appreciate the effort that I had put in through out my time here. I think that when I show people what I have been working on, people would start to see that I was not going to let people down with anything less than a stellar act.

"When is the next talent show at the school?" I asked, trying to come up with some plans on how to perform my next act, and I was hoping that it was going to be something that I would be able to present in front of the school, and after I was done performing, I was going to get some people to start to want to jump onto supporting my comedy and stuff. I did not want people to be thinking that I was going to be going down when I finally had something going here. One of my friends responded to my question, and it was going to give me a starting point here.

"It is going to be at Friday. That gives you a few days to get yourself ready and make a good performance and stuff. I just hope that you are not going to over perform though. Don't want people to make fun of you like what happened last month." My friend responded, and the only reason that whole thing did not work was because people did not appreciate how funny some comedy was. But at the same time, if I was wanting people to like my stuff, I was going to have to possibly tone back a bit. Even if it was not going to be fun in any way at all. I was wanting to just give my true self out to the public, and show people what I have been working on all this time. But I guess that people did not appreciate good talents unless if I slowed into it.

"I don't care what people think of me. I want to show people what I have been working on. But as much as I hate to admit it, there might be some truth to what you say. I just wish that people would see that I have been giving it my best effort, and that I deserve more than what they have been giving me. I deserve some form of appreciation for the fact that I am the funniest guy out there. The fact that I am the one who had tried his best to make people have a better mood and stuff. I mean, people laughed at farting jokes as if it was the funniest thing in the world." I said, alluding to my comedy rival, and I was really hating that kid, since they ruined everything that I would work for, no matter what I would put forward.

"I mean, come on, one of two of those jokes were kind of funny. Maybe not enough to make a applause, but not the totally unfunny thing that you are saying that it was." One of my friends was saying, and I was wanting to scream at them for saying that. For betraying me, and saying that one of those jokes were funny. But I decided not to be saying anything about it. Since I knew that they were allowed to have their own opinion, even if it was an objectively wrong one and should not be advertised.

"It does not matter. I am going to be giving my best possible performance, and I am going to make everybody see that I am going to have the one performance of a life time. Sooner or later, everybody is going to find what I do funny. It may take a while, but it is going to be something that they will like." I said, and then I was just feeling like I was sort of beating down the point, and that I did not really need to state the points anymore. That I had made the points enough, and that bringing them down to the ground was just going to make them even more tired of the debates and stuff.

"I have all week to prepare for it anyways. I have a week to come up with the best jokes that I can. Surely at least some of them have got to stick, and some of the have got to be funny." I said, and then I was just truly feeling that way. There was no way that something like this was not going to work. I was feeling like I needed to finally get some people to see that I was not making any reservations on this matter.

"I will try to help you with it if you feel the need to have somebody who can help." My friend said, and he was looking like he was trying to make it sound cool and stuff. He was just hoping that I would not make a issue out of it all. I was thinking that he might be right on something. I really should try to find something that can get people to actually think what I was doing was going to be funny, and not brushing off to that asshole.

As that was happening, I had just remembered suddenly that my parents were having another kid soon, and then I slammed my face on the window. Thinking that maybe bringing that up in the skit, how I forgot about that, and twisting it to be funny, could be a good starting point to work with.

I was then sort of looking right at my friends, feeling like what I was saying was going to be kind of annoying to them. I did not think that they were going to be super excited to be hearing me brushing them off over something that had been six times since I was born. "Hey, my parents are having another kid, and they are probably going to be coming home from their delivery soon. I mean, I should at least try and head home and see what they were even wanting to do now." Seth said, and then he was feeling terrible for saying this to his friends. But at the same time, he had felt like he was just needing to see what was going to happen now.

"I guess that your parents do not know when to let the children thing go? I mean, I guess that I just simply don't get it." One of my friends said, and the thing was that I was strangely agreeing with them. I mean, I had nothing against it all. But there was something that was making me feel like there might have just been a sense of competition out of the whole thing. Like seeing if they could be able to have more kids than anybody else in the town or something like that.

"Maybe I can make a comedy piece on the whole family. I think that something like this might be exciting for the audience." I said, and I was actually seeing my friends looking like they were thinking that something like this was actually a valid point, and that they were kind of glad that I was thinking about something more than just simple gross out humor or something like that. I guess that I just needed to find something else to work with.

"Yeah, maybe you can be able to get your family to try and join you. If you do that, then surely they must be more willing to open up with talking to you on how to make a good comedy season work out. I think that they will always support what one of their brothers is trying to do. It always seems like your siblings has a strong sense of family pride in that extent." My friend said, and I nodded at him, as if thinking that this whole idea was making so much fucking sense that I could not believe that I did not think of it earlier.

With that, I was heading out of the room that I was hanging out at, and I was walking right towards the house, and I was thinking that there might be some form of a renewed purpose when I was going to be looking at my family, and something that could be able to get them to support what I had been doing, and thinking that I did care in a way. To show that I had listened to them, and that I was not throwing them away.

...

Jack's POV -March 22 1993 2:31 am-: I was having a hard time sleeping that night, and I was having a hard time knowing that I was going to be having a big sports meeting soon. I was having a hard time dealing with the fact that there was going to be a crying baby at the house now, when we were finally starting to get used to Levi being normal for children standards, and not crying all the time. I was finally feeling like everything was going to be fine. I was feeling like everything here was just all coming down against me, and I was wanting to have a normal life here.

I was wanting to sleep for a full night, but such a thing was just looking like it was not going to be happening. I had wished that I was going to finally see the issues that I had ahead of me. I just did not know why my parents were so interested in having so many kids. I mean, I wanted to finally get things over with. I wanted a nice family. Not a family that was forced to grow every couple of years because my parents can't seem to understand that sometimes it is best to just be leaving stuff alone as it was. I was feeling like it was almost selfish what they were doing.

I mean, I was not going to be lying about the feelings that I was having. I had to be totally honest with the way that I was feeling, as lying about it was just going to only make things much worse. Lying about the feelings that I had were only going to be getting the people who knew me to hate what I had ever done. I guess that I was just sort of worried about what people were always going to say about me. I was afraid that they were going to act like I was a monster for simply being honest on how I had felt. But at the same time, there was a small part of me that was feeling like I did not need to openly state what I had felt as long as nobody ever asked me what I had felt. So as long as nobody asked me, I was going to be good here.

I was just shaking my head, almost wondering if there was indeed something wrong with me for feeling the way that I had. If I was kind of being a jack ass for just being honest about the fact that I needed some space. About the fact that I wanted some space. If I should have been more open to accepting the youngest member of the family, even though I knew that something like this was not going to last very long. I just had a feeling that soon enough, my parents were going to have another one. But in a way, I should be accepting of them all for the moments that we were having now.

I was getting up though, feeling like I needed to possibly use the bathroom, and needed to just try to find out what I would do to get people to see that I was going to not make a issue out of this whole thing. No matter how I had felt about having a younger sibling, I knew that I needed to try and keep that opinion to myself, and I needed to not be making a scene out of it. I should just respect what my parents were doing, even if I did not agree with it. I just wanted to make the time here seem civil enough as it was. I did not want there to be any scene that was going to be caused just because I was going to express annoyance.

I felt like I was being a bit of a asshole even to myself. But I was thinking that when I would be asked what I had felt by my parents, to those people more than anything else, I would be honest with them. I would just tell them what I had felt, and I was never going to be making any issue on it. I just hoped that they were going to actually listen to me. That they were not going to be telling me that I was wrong for feeling this way.

I was thinking that I could just talk to my parents, and they were going to listen to me. No matter what they could be feeling about the actual materials of the words I gave itself, they were going to actually be fine with me just not lying. I mean, I doubt that they would be so against what I was saying that they would tell me to not simply be honest. I think that the honesty was probably the one thing they wanted, and the one thing that can get them to understand that this was fucking ridiculous.

I was inside of the living room, placing my head on my hands. There were so many things that I hated about the mindset that I had. There were so many things that I hated about the fact that I was feeling like this over my family. But there was even more things that I hated about being dishonest about what was going on in my mind.

I was shaking my head, just telling myself that I needed to keep it inside. No matter what I had felt on the matter, I did not need to bring anybody to listen to the fact that I wanted my family to not be authentic. I felt like if I was going to openly say anything like this, then I was going to be the monster of the family. I was feeling like I should be the one who would be pushed off. The one who was going to be looked at as making a huge mistake and stuff.

I was thinking that there was just something that I needed to change if I was going to be making a issue out of letting my family be itself. I was feeling like as long as something like this was coming along, then things were just going to be a giant issue. I was feeling like I just was making a bunch of huge mistakes, and that none of these mistakes were making me proud of myself. That I was a asshole who deserved nothing to be going along in my favor. I was feeling like if people were going to be telling me off, then perhaps it was something that I deserved after all.

I was looking at the inside of my parents room, where I was seeing the new crib for Ridge. As I was looking at the crib, and I was having mixed feelings and emotions, I was having a small amount of uncertainty about every single second and every single emotion that I had been feeling now. I just felt like when I was staring there, I was still pissed at this whole thing. But I was also thinking that I was just going to need to give this a chance. There was nothing wrong with giving this a chance. I was thinking that perhaps as long as I gave this a chance, then everything was going to at least have some form of matter to it all.

I was shaking my head a bit after I was thinking. I knew that they needed a chance, and I knew that there was something that was going to keep things together. I just wished that as long as I was giving this a chance, and as long as I was going to keep an open mind, then things were finally going to come together. Things were going to look like I could be able to show Ridge and the others that I was not going to let personal opinion truly get in the way of the way that I had felt on it all.

I was being a bit of a asshole, and I was thinking that as long as Ridge was being around, and he was seeing people around him, especially the older ones, looking like they had not cared, then I was feeling like I was going to see him break down bit by bit. That he was going to look like he was not loved, and that he was just considered to be a liability more than anything.

In a way, that did not much matter. Todd was heading out to a college soon enough, or a job I think, and Gabe was graduating and could leave as a result. I was feeling like perhaps the family was coming together a bit more, and that as a result, one or two less children were around, and I was thinking that the distribution of money to children could be able to increase.

...

Lydia's POV -March 22 4:19 am-: I was seeing a little bit as I was seeing my older brother Jack coming right to his bed. He was always looking like he had taken the idea of having another sibling to be the hardest. He was always just having a hard time getting used to the fact that there was yet another younger sibling on the way. I did not really know how it was that was always making him feel this way. But since he was the youngest of my older brothers, a part of me was feeling like maybe he would have been a bit annoyed to have me around. The only daughter. Or perhaps he was unable to understand what it was like to have another one on the way, since he was only two at the time.

Despite this, there was something to this one that seemed to be a bit more conflicted and stuff. I was seeing that perhaps this was different from other cases. As I was seeing this, I had felt like maybe there was actually some validity to the feelings that he was having here. I felt like perhaps I needed to actually listen to him, and see what was bothering him so much. I felt like perhaps I could see what was going to him at this point.

I was thinking that it would be only a minute or two, and then I could just go back to bed, and then pretend like this debate was not happening at all. So I was getting right up, and I was walking right towards Jack, wondering what I would say when I was right there behind him. I decided that I would be gentle about the way that I was approaching him, and just keep this debate as simple as possible.

"Hey Jack, what is it that is bothering you right now? If you want to try and talk about it for a bit, you can always be able to talk to me and stuff." I said, and then that had been when he was looking right at me. There was a small look on his face that was clearly making it look like he was feeling bad for the way that he was acting right now. As if his reaction was actually something that made him a terrible person, when he was just expressing himself.

"I just feel like I should be giving the family more of a chance here. I feel like I am being terribly rude by just not giving the kid a chance. The fact that I am just sort of rejecting them before they even have a chance to settle down and even have a few days here. I feel like perhaps I am jumping right to conclusions that should not be looked at." Jack finally admitted, wondering what I was going to tell him. If I wanted to tell him anything at all.

"I just wish that this family can be able to relax every once in a while. I just wish that every once in a while, our parents would sometimes actually stop and think that maybe we don't need all this amount of kids. That we are fine with a small family. I mean, every time I feel like I am finally used to the living situation we are in, they throw in yet another kid at us. They make us have to change our lives once more, and I am kind of tired of it. I mean, granted in a month or two every time, I am usually over it, but I just wish that there was better communication between the family on the whole." Jack explained, wondering what I was going to be saying to this. I mean, there was a somewhat valid point here. But that did not mean that he had to be so blunt about the whole thing. I just did not know what I was supposed to say on this matter, and I just looked down.

"How long did it take for you to start feeling this way about us having more and more siblings?" I asked, feeling like he might as well just be totally honest with me. I did not want him to be lying to me, since doing that was just going to be making things much worse for everybody else. "I will try not to judge you for your answer. I'm just worried that you don't love me." I said, and then Jack was looking at me, as if thinking that despite his problems, he did not want that to be the impression that he would give me or anybody else. He was just trying to express himself in a way that was being honest, and not lying to anybody who was around him.

"I would say probably the twins is when I started to feel this way. When you were born, I was only a couple of years old. I barely knew what was going on. How was I supposed to be angry at that? Then Henry came along, and it was exciting to have a brother younger than me, and I was really thinking that it could be a good round about. Then there was the twins, and by that point I was already like six, and I wanted to let the family stop. I wanted them to focus on us, and just try to make things more concentrated." Jack said, and then he just sighed, thinking about what he was missing out on in that regard.

"I wish that I was not this way though. To be acting like every single sibling that I have is just a total annoyance is something that I am not proud of. That is a feeling they do not deserve, and even I am aware of that. But I guess that what I feel does not really matter. I am just saying something that nobody really believes." Jack said, and then after he had said that, he was wondering what he was even going to be saying now. He had made his point, and there was nothing else to even try to say now.

"Well, mom and dad have been saying since day one that this was the last one. That we were going to be done after this one, and that they thought the whole set up here was a perfect round off." I said, and I was hoping that this was going to make Jack listen to me, and that this was going to make him feel like there was not that much left that he was going to have to deal with.

"I am sure in a year or two, you will be over it. It seems like you are never feeling this way for more than a couple of months." I said, and I was seeing that Jack was sort of feeling like this statement was the truth. But at the same time, he was sort of unsure of what he was wanting to say now. He was feeling like if he wanted this to continue the discussion, he would have talked more. But that he was sort of feeling like we had both made our points now.

"I hope that you are right. I think that things are going to be fine. I just don't really know what I am supposed to be feeling right now. I think that is the thing that will always make me unsure of what I am supposed to even do." After Jack had said that, he was feeling like he was saying enough, and that there was nothing else that he could want to say. He was feeling like if he wanted to talk about this more, he would have by now.

"I think that we are getting too late at this. I think that I should go to bed. I have school soon anyways." Jack said, and he was getting towards his bed. He was thinking that as much as I was being nice to him, there was an extent to how annoying it could be to be forced to talk about how shitty his emotions were in the middle of the night, when he was supposed to at least be trying to go to sleep and stuff.

I looked at him for a bit as he was on the bed, and then I looked down in acceptance. I knew that he was never going to be fully open with me, and I knew that he was just thinking that his opinions on most issues were total abominations, and that he needed to change himself. I was not wanting him to feel awful. But these conversations would do nothing but that, and I was feeling a bit bad over that weight that I had been placing on his shoulders. I felt like maybe I needed to try and be more respectful to him.

...

Henry's POV -March 22 1993 3:59 pm-: I was just walking around, and I was looking at the new kid that had been brought to the house. All of my older siblings were either at work or at school. I was just glad that I still had a few more months before I would be dragged into kindergarten. I was thinking that the idea of going to school was going to be one of the worst ideas of my life. I would truly do anything in the world over going to that. I did not want to waste several hours of my day doing something that I knew that I was not going to enjoy. Besides, we have my parents, which were hyping up the idea of going to school as the greatest thing in the world. Probably for them, since they would only have four of the eleven to deal with for several hours of the day, once I was finally at school for once.

It was going to be strange, I have to admit, the days when we are all at school, at work, or just in general out of the house. I mean, that was going to be happening somewhat soon. Since the twins were going to be going to Kindergarten in two years, and Levi was just one year behind them, which seems like nothing at all. Then we have Ridge, and for the first couple of grades that Levi is at school, there is only going to be Ridge back at the house. Then when Ridge was going to school, I had a feeling that probably Todd, Gabe and Josiah were going to be at school, and Seth would almost be done with high school and probably has a job at least. Which seemed less awful than going to school.

I was wondering what type of job Todd wanted to work with. I mean, I heard a couple of things here and there about what he was wanting to do. But the stuff that he was telling me and other people seemed to be totally out of my mind. Perhaps to some people who were slightly older than me, this was making some sense. But to me, this was totally just out of my mind. None of this was making any sense, and I was thinking that when I was older, only then this whole thing could start to make some sense.

I was sitting down on the ground, wanting to watch the television. But when I was watching the screen, most of it seemed to just be a bunch of blurs, and most of it was a bunch of stuff that made no sense to me. How could I be able to describe something that I saw when I was like four or five years old, that I was even barely paying attention to because I was more wondering what life was going to be like with yet another sibling in our life.

But despite that, I was seeing Lydia coming inside of the house, and I was not surprised when she was the first one back home that. Since Jack was usually playing some sports until like five or six. Seth usually hung out with his friends for like an hour or so after school was done. He thought that it was just fun to have some extra time out there. Josiah was spending some extra time at the school trying to write songs. Trying to be sounding like he was the most creative person in the world. Gabe was usually either dealing with homework at his final couple of months at school, or he was doing something like Seth was doing with his friends, or he was job searching. Then there was Todd, who was either always making job applications because he was just wanting a job really badly and was just wanting out of here, or he was trying to apply to a college. Always trying to just get one of those two things to accept him after a while. Lydia was the only one that would come straight home from school every day.

When she was looking right down at me, she was smiling right at me. She found it to be nice to see me staring at that screen barely processing the television every day when she would come home. It was a sort of unintentional tradition that the two of us were having. And it was something that obviously wasn't communicated here. I mean, I barely could form cohesive sentences and stuff. I knew how to talk, but nothing that made any real difference.

"How was your day?" I asked, and that was one of the most comprehensive sentences I can usually make. And that was because of the fact that I heard it on a regular basis. It was something that I was always seeing people say to family members of mine every single day. So I was pretty much just saying it like it was a broken record. Lydia was looking at me, as if thinking that this was a great answer she would have for me.

"I made a new friend at school today. I am so happy that there is somebody who wants to hang out." Lydia said, and I was unsure of what to say. So I figured that I would say the only thing that made at least some sense.

"What is her name?" I asked, and then I was seeing Lydia looking like she was getting back to the normal thought process that she was having, and that she might as well just tell me the name of her friend. There was no real reason for her not to after all. She was rubbing my hair at the same time. That was the only thing that really annoyed me when she did it. But at the same time, I was glad that she only did it for one or two seconds. That she did not do the over the top version of it that she had been doing when I was a little baby. Like you know, two or three years old.

"Claire. She went up to me today, and she was wanting to talk to me. I was so glad when she was giving me a chance. I said yes, and we ended up talking for a while. I was thinking that it would be a lot of fun, and we hung out for all of lunch and stuff." Lydia said, and I was seeing her looking like there was not much more that she was needing to say on the matter. That she had gotten the full story told, and that there was nothing that could even come out of just telling me something else now.

"Are you going to hang out with her more soon?" I asked, and then I was seeing her looking like she was just not wanting to even consider what the idea would be like if this was not the case. That if they were not going to hang out together anymore, than that was just going to be ruining any amount of excitement that she had over the matter. So I was telling myself that I would not say such a thing again, to not hurt her a bit more.

"I want to hang out with her more. It would be awful if we did not. I would hope that she would not turn down the idea of this." After Claire had said that to me, I was seeing her looking more and more happy again, and not sort of looking like she was even considering the idea of this friendship not happening. But I guess that maybe I was just having a little extra amount of darkness in my life. I was never really all that calm and quiet.

"How much do you feel like you are going to be hanging out with each other?" I asked, and then after I had asked her this, I was unsure of if she was going to be giving me the realistic answer, or if she was just going to be giving me the answer that she wanted to have happen. I was also unsure of which one I was wanting to hear. But I was hoping that it was the answer that she would honestly be best to give us.

"I want to hang out with her every day. I want her and I to have so much fun." After Lydia had told me this, I was seeing her looking happier than everything in the world. She was walking away, and she was going to my room. As she was inside of her room, I was sort of looking back at the television. I was wanting to know how she was going to be holding up now. I was just always going to remember that I was the first one who knew of Claire, and I was the one who would get a first glimpse on what she would do to change the perception of Lydia.

...

Dylan's POV -March 22 1993 5:46 pm-: It was strange coming home, and seeing that there was a baby coming in the house with mom and dad earlier. I thought that they were just bringing in something from a store earlier, until I had a few seconds to really process what I was seeing. I really did not have any clue on what I was going to actually say to them. I had no idea if I was wanting to say anything to my parents, since I was wanting to go out and I was wanting to play, but my parents thought that I was not old enough to play. It was annoying that they were always acting that way with me, and I was just wanting to find a way to make them see that I was old enough. That I was able to play. And that they did not need to worry so much about me. That I was able to be just fine. I wanted to make them see I was a safe kid who wanted to just have some fun.

I mean, most of my older siblings were going out to school. I was always able to have some time to talk with them. They seemed to always be really busy though, and many of the older ones seemed to not really take some time to say anything to me too much. Almost as if they thought that saying something to me every once in a while was just going to distract them from something else. But I wanted to see them, and I wanted to make them actually want to see me more often.

I was then seeing Drake, my younger twin, and I was unsure of what to say to him. I mean, despite us knowing each other a bit, there was always a sense of strangeness when we were talking to each other. I always felt like if I were to try and speak to him, the two of us would have such different interests that we were going to not be able to hang out and play for more than just a couple of minutes at a time.

I also wanted to know what the young kid was. If it was yet another sibling, or if there was something else to this whole thing. I just felt like when I would see him, I would be more aware of what I was supposed to be expecting. I would feel like seeing him was going to be something that can make my life here a bit more interesting. Seeing if I was going to be able to get him to see the things that I was interested in. To see if I was going to get him to join me in some fun activities and stuff.

I went right towards my mom and dad, and I was looking at the crib that had the new kid. I was also aware that Levi still had one, but at the same time, it seemed like in a year or two, he was going to be getting out of one, and then when he was having a actual bed of his own, then my parents were probably just going to get rid of the one that they were using for him. I did not know what to expect, but I just wanted to find something to have them get my attention.

"Who is that with you guys?" I asked my mom, since dad was at work, and he was probably just going to be out for several hours. Sometimes he was gone for two, three or even four days at a time. I did not know what was going on that made him just gone for such a long period of time. I was feeling like there must have been something going on here that was making him gone for so long. I just wanted him back though, to see us hang out more. Because it was always awful to see him gone for such a long period of time and stuff.

"It's your new brother Ridge. We just brought him home yesterday. Now don't get too rough with him. He is too young to be going out and doing anything dangerous." She said, and then I was looking down, and I was feeling like I needed to know when the standards were going to be different. I just wanted to see what was going to get them to listen to my concern. I wanted to go out, and I was three years older. I felt like I needed to have a chance, and I wanted to make that point very clear to them.

"How old do I have to be? To have fun outside?" I asked, and I was seeing my mother looking down, as if feeling like her answer to me was going to make me not very excited. That I was going to actually hate it, and I was going to be mad at her for the next several days. And that she was afraid that I was going to have a fit. One of the worst ones in my entire life up until that point in time. But I just wanted to see what the answer was going to be.

"When you are five. And even then, I would only really trust you around the yard and stuff." My mother said, and then she was looking at Henry, as if sort of accepting that she was admitting that she was letting him go out soon, and did not need to get him to ask her permission. In a way, that was making her sad. Knowing that an extra one of her kids was starting to become old enough to finally do things on his own, as long as there was some form of supervision in the activities. It was still more liberty than I could ever dream to have.

"I want to go out. I want to have some fun, and see the the outside." I said, and then I was looking down, really tempted to go into a fit. I was seeing that the way that I was reacting was something that my mother was used to, but at the same time, seeing me like this was always going to be making her sad. The fact that she was aware that I was always going to feel like she had not actually truly cared what I would want and stuff.

"You will soon enough. Trust me, five is nothing in the whole of things. All you have to do is wait another two years. And think of it this way. Something that can get you a bit more excited." She said, and then she was looking right down at me, and she was really thinking that what she was saying was a loose defense. But it was the best that she was going to be able to do to actually get me to listen to her a bit longer. "You get to go out a whole year before Levi does, and three years before Ridge does. You get to have so much experience when you get to go out compared to them. That is something that should get you excited." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she truly hoped that this was going to be enough.

"Fine." I said, and I was still not really willing to let it go. I was still angry at her, and I was wanting her to open up and let me have some fun. But at the same time, I was thinking that if I was able to do it before those two, then it would be better than nothing. It was going to make me feel like I was finally able to have some seriousness taken with me. I just wanted people to take my wishes seriously for once, if that was even possible.

"They are going to really need you as much as possible when you are there and you can help them out. That is something that has to be really exciting." After she had said that, I saw her looking like she was just truly hoping that the sooner that I would open up to this idea, the better that her life was going to truly be. I was thinking that as long as I made no more protest, she would be more willing to see it my way.

"Thanks." I said, and then I was looking at Ridge. I was thinking about what I would say now. "I wonder what he is going to be like soon." I said, and then I was just thinking that the idea of knowing what he would grow up be would be really exciting. I thought that perhaps Ridge would start to stir things up, and show everybody what we were going to actually be like in the future.

...

Drake's POV -March 22 1993 8:50 pm-: I was supposed to be going to be soon, since I was still very young, and my mother did not want me to be staying up super late and all of that stuff. I mean, I did not know hwy she was so focused on me always going to bed early, since doing something like that is just really boring and stuff. I was always just laying on the bed, and I wanted to finally go on and do something else for once. Even if it was a bit light in comparison to what it could have truly been.

I was laying down, and I was seeing Dylan looking at the ceiling in his room. "Hey Dylan, what are you wanting to do tomorrow?" I asked, and I was hoping that he would be willing to hang out. Considering the fact that the two of us did not hang out much, and since he was the one closest to me in age, I thought that he would have been more open to hang out with me on certain cases than he would have been on other situations.

"I don't know. I want to go outside. But mom is telling us that we have to wait until we're five to be doing such a thing. That is so boring, and I want to go out and have some fun. It's just not exciting being here anymore." After Dylan was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like this was just something that he truly believed. Being stuck at this house was something that he did not want to be doing anymore. He wanted to go out there, and he wanted to see what the town had to offer for itself.

"It's going to be fine. Just think about what you can do here if you are bored and stuff. Certainly you will be able to find something that can excite you." After I had said that, I was unsure of what I was going to be saying now. I was thinking that what I was saying was stupid. But I guess that nothing that I was going to say would even matter anymore. "Besides, I doubt that you would really want mom to be mad at you or anything."

Dylan was looking at me, as if he was truly unsure of what he was feeling here. He was looking like he was just wanting to find something else to make him feel like he was not forced to be doing something that was unfair. But at the same time, he was also looking like the fight was already lost, and that there was no point in even trying to make things any different. There was no way in hell that mom was going to listen to him, so there was no point in even trying to make a difference.

"Do you think that school might be fun? I mean, going out and making new friends. I think that Lydia might have some knowledge about how school is like early on." After Dylan said that, I was seeing him looking like this was just something that he truly wanted to know more than anything else in the world. He was wanting to see how he was going to be able to learn the truth of what this city was like and stuff. But he felt like there was no point in trying to make any information come out to us.

"I think that friends are going to be fun. But Gabe and Josiah are so busy all the time, and it does not look fun at all." I said, and I was thinking about the fact that Gabe literally spends like an hour or two every day outside of school not doing anything at the house since he is too busy just being at the school with work. Or being with his friends when he was finally able to catch a moment. I did not know what it was like when Todd was at school. I was not old enough to even come close to having that at my memory. And in a way, I was thinking that something like this was going to ruin school.

"I just want to see what it is going to be like. Everybody talks about how it is the biggest thing in life, and I want to see if something like this is the truth." After he was saying that to me, I was wanting to see what I could say to make it feel any different. If I could say any thing to him that could make him feel like he was not lost. That he was not going to be forced into waiting for something that in all honesty was not going to be anywhere as exciting as he was hoping it to be.

"Do you think that Todd wants to be here anymore?" I asked, and I was really wondering if he was not loving us all that much, and that was why I had asked him the question. "All he ever does is work and stuff. He always talks about leaving, and how much he just wants to start a new life away from here. It is like he does not even care what we do anymore. Like he just hates us." I said, and I was thinking that this was a point that was really going to be a huge discussion point in the future. I was thinking that if he was wanting us gone so badly, he could have just said so, and his point probably would have been made. Even if it was a point that really hurt for him to say. Even if it was a point that I would have never wanted to hear.

"He is probably just stressed. Don't worry about it. I doubt he hates any of us." After Dylan said that, I was clearly seeing him looking like he was a tad unsure. Almost like he was just wanting to find a way to convince himself that this was the truth. I was thinking that Todd may have been tired of this place, and as a result, we were all suffering the side effects or something like this. We were all suffering the feeling that he had, and I wanted to see what I could do to try and change the situation to make it look like it was not too much for him and stuff.

"Do you think that things are going to be the same with Ridge around?" I asked, and I was seeing Dylan looking like he was unsure of what to say. There was not much to say. There was almost nothing to say. It wasn't like Ridge being around was a terrible thing. But at the same time, he did not think there was much need to try and say that there was some big change that could come out of it.

"Either way, everything will be fine. Everything is going to be good. That is all that I believe." Dylan was saying, and he was feeling like there was not all that much more that he needed to try and say. He was feeling like there was going to be a little bit more fun that he could get out of this. But that as long as we were together, everything would be fine. As long as we were able to have some of our stuff go on normally, then everything was going to be fine in the long.

"I will be nice to him. That is the least that he deserves." I said, and I was thinking about what it would be like if he was not going to be treated fairly by us for various reasons. I was feeling like if I was going to be like this, then I was just never going to be getting over it. I always had respect when I was coming home at first from what I learned, and I was thinking that it was the very least that I could do when he was coming along here.

I was starting to close my eyes. That conversation with Dylan was what I had needed. I was thinking that maybe talking was the one thing that was going to make me feel ready to sleep more often and stuff. "Good night. I need to sleep." I said, and then after I was saying that to Dylan, I was just starting to be heading to sleep. As I was saying that, I was feeling like this was all that I needed to really worry about. But then I was already asleep before he was able to even say another thing to me.

...

Levi's POV -March 23 1993 2:47 am-: I was waking up that day for a bit, wanting to get a drink. I knew that I was considered too young to be doing something like this without my parents permission. I knew that they were going to be pissed if they were seeing me do something like this. They were going to be telling me that I should have let them take care of it. But in a way, I was feeling like since I was no longer the youngest, and that Ridge was now the youngest, I was going to have some more minor liberties to be doing stuff like this. To be getting simple drinks of water if I ever needed something like it.

I did not really think that my parents were going to care all that much if they found me getting a cup of water. They might be annoyed with something like this a bit. They might be annoyed that I was out making noise at night. But I truly felt like once they were over it, they were not going to be all that rough with me on it. Just wished to not have me do something like this before. It was just a task to go through, and I was feeling like everything was going to be totally fine and stuff. Besides, it was not like I was being like Dylan and Drake, who wanted to literally leave the house, and was probably going to get in trouble over doing something like that and stuff. I was just getting a drink of water, and I was going to head right back to my room as if nothing happened at all.

I was out at the kitchen, and I was seeing the cup holding area and I was opening it up. I was starting to grab the cup and stuff, and I was just ready to get a drink, and then be done with it. I was heading on right towards the sink, and I was starting to fill up the cup to the exact spot that I had wanted, and then when I was done, I turned the sink off, and I was drinking the water a bit more. Just feeling the thirst coming away. It was all that I had needed, and it was already doing the job now.

When I was done, I was placing the cup down, and then I was thinking that I could go to my room, and then be done with it. I felt like since I was smart for my age anyways, nobody would have been really thinking that I was doing anything too fucking crazy. But I was thinking that I was looking too deeply into this whole thing. But I guess that it was just a bit silly to be caring so much about all of this stuff in the first place.

I was about to head into my room, when I was seeing Todd Jr coming right inside of the house, and he was looking like he was just worn down. He had looked like there was something that he was not really ready for after all. I was seeing his face, and I was just wanting to comment on how tired he was. But he was seeing me first, and I was seeing that I was not going to have a chance to really say much, and that he was already going to just beat me.

"Hey, what are you doing up so late? You should be asleep right now?" Todd asked, and then I was thinking about a remark that I could make. I did not know why, but I was feeling like I needed to come up with one that could point out how silly he was being, and how much he needed to think about the stuff that he had just told me. I was smiling when I was looking at him, wondering what he was even going to actually say now if I would try to bring up my points now.

"I was getting out to get a drink. Shouldn't you also be asleep by now? What makes it okay for you to stay up but not me?" I asked, and the thing was that I was just in general using the logic in my mind, and I was saying what I had felt like was a valid point. Todd Jr. was looking right down at me, as if feeling like he was not really exactly sure of what he would tell me. He was clearly thinking that I knew how to debate with him a little too much. He was looking down, and then he was thinking that he would finally have a comment that could make his point to me.

"I was going out and hanging out with some friends. That is why it is different between you and I. I had actually been doing something, and you need to be asleep." After he was saying that to me, I was looking down, feeling like there was going to be nothing that I can say that would get him to listen to my perspective. I did not even know why I was caring so much about this whole thing. So with that, I was just looking down at the ground, and I was going to be heading to my room in defeat. Todd said something to me to make me try to feel better though.

"I think that you will enjoy being out with friends one day. Just wait until the day comes. Don't try to force something that is going to happen. And one stuff like that happens, you will eventually be able to go out and stay out as late as you want, and you will have a life that will truly be exciting." Todd said, and I was seeing that he truly meant what he was saying. As I saw his look, and I was seeing him wanting to say more, I decided that I would not argue with him here.

I was going right to my crib, and then I was thinking that the crib was going to be the only real way that my parents were going to have any real chance to catch me. I would just come out of it when I was thirsty usually, and then come right back. As I was heading right inside, I was seeing Todd come right to me. Then he picked me up and placed me right in.

"I would not even dream of actually going out of my crib and placing myself back in. I think that somebody has to have mad skills to try and pull that off." After Todd said that to me, I was seeing him looking like this was probably one of the most impressive things that he ever saw one of his younger siblings do when we were in the baby stage. "I hope that you don't mind having another room mate with you. I mean, I think most of us knew it was only going to be a matter of time before such a thing were to happen." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more. But that there was virtually no need to do such a thing at this point.

"At least I'm not the youngest anymore. I hated being the youngest." I said, and then Todd was looking like he had been used to everybody saying that. He had heard that statement being said at least once or twice a year from the youngest sibling. The only difference was which one that was each time. But the statement had always been the same, no matter what the context really was.

"I never really knew what it was like to be the youngest. I guess that no matter how much time passes, that is the one thing that I will truly never really get. But I guess that it does not matter anymore. I mean, mom and dad have said that they were done after this one. So I guess that we are just going to have to get really damn used to Ridge saying that on a constant basis. But I guess that after a few years, you would be used to hearing it." Todd said, and then he was looking at me, as if thinking that I might get more used to that statement than virtually anybody else.

"Well good night. I really do have to be going to sleep now. You should too. You're just a kid." Todd said, and then he left. I was shocked to hear him call me a kid rather than just a baby. I was used to everybody calling me a baby. But he was calling me a kid. That made me feel so damn high and mighty as he was saying that. As if that was the thing that mattered more than anything else in the damn world.

...

Ridge's POV -March 23 4:45 pm-: I have to admit, I barely remember a damn thing that happened at this point in my life. I was literally just days old. How am I supposed to remember anything? But the thing is that my siblings were thinking that these would be great stories to tag team narrate. Since with eleven perspectives, there would be eleven different sides to the story that can be explained every single time that we were having turns at this. It just so happened that when I had been born right at the time things went in the shitter. Thankfully as time passes, I will be a bit older, and I can actually have some more real memories that I can explain, and give a real perspective, and not just what everybody tells me what was happening at that time.

Alright, I think that I have made my point on how strange these narrations will be, especially at the early end of things. But now that I have done just that, I think that it is time to tell you what was going on around me at the first turn that I have in my narrating. So what had happened was that I was hanging around in my crib, pretty much not doing anything at all. When I was seeing the man who I would know of my father inside of the bedroom for the first time since my birth. As he was moving some stuff around, he probably thought that he did not need to worry about me being there, since I would not know what was happening, and to be totally fair, I did not.

What I am told happened next was that my second oldest brother, Gabe, came into the room, and he was having a lot of stuff that he was wanting to talk to his father about. "Hey dad, I was wondering if you were willing to talk to me for a couple of moments. Trust me, I know what it is like to be really busy, so I will not hold you off for too long. I just feel like I need to see your perspective here." Gabe said, and then my father claimed that at first he was slightly annoyed with the fact that he was being distracted, but the voice in Gabe's voice made it very clear that this was a real moment. Something to not take lightly.

"What is bothering you?" Todd asked, and then he was looking at Gabe, and Gabe was just sort of stuttering for a couple of seconds and my father was just tempted to end the conversation off, but then Gabe finally had something to say. Something that he had felt would finally get his fathers attention. As if he was feeling like this was one of the most important things in the entire world to be dealing with.

"I was searching in the forest a couple of days ago. I was looking around, because I was seeing something like a glowing light coming towards me. I then eventually reached where the main light was, and I dug out something. When I dug it out, I ended up finding one of those like weapons you were talking about earlier. You know, that like energy sword thing that you used when you were at Wayside in seventh grade. I did not think of it much at first, until I remembered the story you told me, and I decided that I would wait until you came home and I could talk to you about it." After Gabe was saying this, he was looking down, as if unsure of what his father was going to tell him.

"God damn it. I never thought that this was going to have to be a issue. I thought that you were going to be safe. I thought you all would be safe." My father said, and then he was looking right at Gabe, and placed his hands right on his shoulders. The look on my fathers face, as Gabe was telling me in the future, was just one of sincere dread and he was scared of what his father was going to be saying now. Since he knew that any amount of jist that his father would take out of the matter was totally thrown right out of the window.

"Can you tell me what this means? I mean, if I am going to have to worry about something for my own siblings protection, then I think that I really need to know. And don't give me that 'you're too young' bullshit. I turn eighteen tomorrow, and I think that this is finally old enough to be taken seriously." Gabe said, and he was being one hundred percent firm with this. If there was any lack of proper communication with the two of them that can put his nine younger siblings at risk, then there was a chance he would never forgive his father.

Despite how pissed my dad was at the fact that Gabe was talking like this, he was well aware of the fact that maybe there was a part of him that deserved something like this. That there was a part of him that had sort of asked for this. "I think you already know about all the monster attacks and stuff lately. I think that you don't really need a story on that."

Gabe was trying to hide his annoyance as he was wishing for his father to just get right to the point. "I hid that in there because I thought that somebody would need it later. I thought that when somebody would have it, they would be ready to learn the truth of the stuff going on here. The truth of the town, and be able to be ready for fighting. I did not think though that it was going to be one of my kids who were going to have to find something like this. I thought that you would have been spared the pain of doing this." Todd Sr. said, and he was wondering what he was even going to try and say now. If he was going to be getting Gabe to think that there was nothing wrong with what he had said.

"I don't care. This shows that you have been lying to all of us this whole time. I feel like I deserve to truly know what this town is hiding, and maybe I would know what I am supposed to do about it." Gabe said, and then he was looking at his father, trying to decide if he hated his father for what he was doing, or just feeling bad that his father thought he would not be mature enough for something like this.

"You leave school in a couple of months and stuff. You just can be able to put this whole thing behind and stuff." My father said to Gabe, and then after he was saying that to Gabe, there was something that his son was holding back. Some level of anger that he was wanting to express, but did not know if such a thing was even possible.

"I know that I leave school soon. But if there is something that is being hidden here, and there is something that I have a chance to expose, then I will have no choice but to see what I can do in my final months here. To see if I can use that thing to help me right now. I think that it is the least that I can do to fix the lies that have been going on." After Gabe had said that to his father, there was clearly a level of anger in his voice. I mean, I did not know what it was like, but I had a feeling from the way that it was described to me, that this was just how his reaction would have been there.

"But Gabe, if you care so much what is going on here, I will try and help you out here. I will do my best to make you guys see that I am not wanting to hurt you." Todd Sr was saying, and then he was looking at Gabe walking out of the room, just wanting to find something to say. But at the same time, it was not like it really could be described.

"Maybe when I have some time to think about it, and actually see if what you are saying is the truth, then I will give you another chance. But right now, I need to see what I can do to see if there is any issues here. And I will see what I can do about it." Gabe said, and then he was walking away, just thinking that maybe there was just something that he needed to do with his time and stuff. That he just wanted some time to let out some steam.

...

Todd Jr's POV -March 23 1993 6:57 pm-: I was sitting down, and I was waiting for Bebe to show up. I had felt like she was just going to be making my day so much better. Since I had forgotten to get Gabe anything for his birthday tomorrow and stuff. I had felt like perhaps he did not even care all that much about stuff like his birthday. Since he hardly celebrated. Probably because when you have so many siblings, it just does not even really even matter what people were thinking of his birthday and stuff. But before I would be able to think about it too much longer, there was somebody coming right in. Trust me when I had said that I got super excited when I was seeing her sitting down, and it was Bebe. I was telling myself to just calm down, and just tell myself that she was not going to be too rude to me. I just needed to be a perfectly approachable guy.

"Hey Todd, how have you been lately?" Bebe asked, and then I was looking down for a second before I told myself to just steal my courage, and just talk with her like she was a regular person, and not somebody who I was going on a date with. I was just thinking that as long as I was being down to earth, the two of us were going to actually get a real conversation going. And the two of us were actually going to do something that I could be able to enjoy. "I just got out of working for a bit. Kind of annoying. But whatever I have to do in order to have the funds to get my own house."

"I've been fine. Just had to deal with my parents having another kid. But they say they are done now. So hopefully I can be able to relax. I am just glad that I have so many siblings. You know that way most of us can be able to go out and do stuff on our own time. Just to make our lives at least a little less hard to deal with." Todd said, and then Bebe was looking at me as if thinking that this would for better or for worse this was going to be the best conversation point I can make.

"I guess all of these siblings have kind of ruined the idea of having kids one day?" Bebe asked, and I was having to think about that for a moment. I mean, I did not want to just never have them. But this was insane, and it did kind or ruin the idea of a typical family vision. So I decided that I would just flat out say it the way that it had affected me and stuff.

"I mean, I will probably want to wait for a good few years before I go out and have some kids of my own. You know, have some years to actually calm the fuck down for a bit. Then after that, I will still probably only want one. I think that the idea of having multiple kids is indeed ruined. But having one... I guess that maybe that is still not so awful at all." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what Bebe was going to say to that. I was secretly hoping that she was not somebody who was wanting like tons of siblings and stuff.

"Do you think that you have any plans to settle down before then? I mean, you should probably have some form of a backing before you go out and have a family." She said, and I was glad that it was looking like she was starting to understand my perspective. That she was not thinking that my perspective was insane. I felt like if she was more able to discuss things with me on this, then everything will be fine.

"I think that I should have some money to handle it. I mean, I don't like to talk about it with others, to make the subject seem a bit less strange. But my family does not have a ton of money to go off of. There is always a struggle to make sure that my parents are actually able to give a real providing backing to my siblings. They don't usually know this because they do a good job hiding this. But I have heard many of the discussions here. One of the many reasons I want to get a job. Partly to save up to get out of here, but partly to have another person to help finance the house when it matters." I said, and then after I had said that to Bebe, I was hoping that she would find something to say here. "Sorry for dragging this subject onto you. A subject you probably have no interest in."

"Don't worry about it honestly. I always wondered what it was like to have a family that size. I always wanted to ask you what it was like. But we barely ever talked with each other, and I thought that if I asked, you would be offended by such a thing." She said, and then I was waving my right hand down, as if to clearly indicate everything was fine.

"Seriously, I have had similar conversations all the fucking time with my friends. If it still bothered me, that would be my problem at that point. I don't care if you want to know about my family. I was actually curious to know if you had a family of your own." After I asked her this, she was thinking about it for a moment, and decided she would tell me the truth too.

"I have a much smaller family than you. A brother named Ronaldo. I just never imagined what it would be like to have something like yours. That was always the main reason that I had wanted to ask all this time. I know it must be annoying for you. Always having to deal with people asking you about your family, and barely ever talking to you about anything else." After Bebe said that, I was honestly impressed that she was pointing out a mildly annoying trait people had that most would have probably never guessed that I hated. But I always just did a good job hiding the way that I had felt on it, because I did not want people to get angry at me for lashing out in annoyance.

"I mean, I always was a bit annoyed with it. You are totally right about that. But here's the thing: I am just used to it. I always have had to deal with it, and everybody seems like that is the main thing people want to hear about. And if that is the story that people always want to fucking hear, there is no point in denying them the right to have something like this. Even if to be honest, I am kind of wishing that people could see me for the man that I really want to be." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what she was going to be saying to that now.

"Do you have any desire to speak about this openly? Do you even think that many people would have actually cared all that much on what you were thinking?" After she had asked me this, I was really unsure of what I was going to tell them. I was thinking that Bebe was being nice to be open about it. But I did not really know if I wished to discuss that.

"I don't know. I guess that it does not matter too much. We're adults now, and I should be leaving soon enough as it is." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing Bebe looking like she had wished I had given her a more in depth answer. "I think that something that would be rather interesting would be to have you meet my siblings though. I just wish think that they might like you a bit. There might be something that they think is interesting about you."

"I would love that. I think that it would be a lot of fun. Thanks for the offer." She said and she smiled for the first time in that entire conversation. As if just that offer was actually something she really wanted. And I was glad to be letting her have something she wanted. Something that I had felt like she would be able to appreciate. But despite what was going on with my family and the first several minutes being devoted to that, I really did enjoy the rest of the conversation that we had for the rest of the night, when we talked about normal life events and stuff.

...

Gabe's POV -March 23 1993 8:41 pm-: I was heading towards one of my friends places. As I had started to leave, there was a small part of me that was feeling like I needed to keep what I found with me, and I grabbed the hilt to that energy sword thing that I found a couple of days ago. As I was placing it inside of my pocket, I was walking out right away, where I just had been thinking a lot about what my father had told me for a while as I was heading on towards there. I was thinking that despite how much I hated it, I might have needed to consider his perspective a bit more than I had earlier. I thought that there was a small amount of validity to the statements he had made.

I was thinking that if I showed my friends what I had found, they might want to use the power of what I found, and they might want to try and let me see it. That was the main reason that I was keeping it at my side, no matter what the cause was going to be. I just felt like if I did not take it with me, this was going to be one of the biggest mistakes of my entire life.

Despite what I had been feeling in general, I was thinking that I had to find a way to keep the people who knew me thinking that I was not totally insane. I wanted them to believe that there was some sense and some reason to the assumptions that I had made for the most part. I just did not want people to be thinking that I was going to be letting this whole fear over crowing my mind and stuff. I just wish that I knew what my father was talking about, and I wished that I knew how to fight in the future. That way I would be able to have a starting point here. I just thought that as long as I was right to the point, it would be all fine and dandy. I just wished I knew that if there was a reason to defend myself and others, that I would know it and I could be able to get ready for such a thing.

I was reaching my friends house, and when I knocked on the door, I was ready for them to be showing up, and looking at me as if I had shown up late. I did not really care all that much. I was thinking that I was just going to tell them that I wanted to hang out, and I felt like soon enough, they were going to just start to support me. Then with the support that they would give me, I would maybe tell them what I was thinking. I wasn't sure if they would even believe me though.

Once he had answered the door, he was looking right at me. There was a slightly confused look on his face. Like he was not ready to be seeing me, and was thinking that I needed to sort of at least warn him first. But then he was looking like he was getting over it soon enough, just glad to see that I was still doing well, and that we could be able to hang out for a bit longer. Even if it was something he had no intention of doing. "Was there something going on?" He asked me, feeling like he was just needing to focus on something else. Since he usually knew that I would only do this if I was desperate.

"I was thinking that maybe I could talk to you about some things that I was thinking about the last couple of hours. I mean, I doubt that you have the answer and stuff. But to be honest, I just wish that I could be able to talk with somebody about this whole thing." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking like he was going to try and take my statement seriously. To see me actually be taking something with earnest.

"What is bothering you so much?" He asked me, as he was letting me inside of his house, and I was thinking that I would just need a couple of moments to actually find something to say to them. I was feeling like whatever I was going to say was going to have to really be worth it. But I guess that nothing else was going to really make sense to him, so I just needed to find one or two parts that would make him get it.

"Well, I think that there might be something going on at this town. I was having a conversation with my dad, and he was telling me that he was scared of something being exposed. I mean, I think that there is something that we need to start to take more seriously. If you are willing to listen to me and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to my friend, he was looking at me, as if wondering what I was meaning, and why I was telling him something that should have been relatively obvious.

"Yeah, here is the thing. I think you should probably understand that this is happening. I mean there are random people going missing and stuff. A lot of us have joked and theorized that there is something going on here. Then there was a couple of months ago..." After my friend had said that to me, I stopped him, and I was wanting him to really listen to me. I was wanting to make my point heard, and for him to not be just brushing me off anymore as that was already getting annoying.

"Yes, you are exactly right. That stuff was making huge amounts of news for several weeks, and then suddenly when it all ends, everybody just acts like nothing ever happened. Just people pretend like this was all normal and stuff. I think that I need to try and find something going on here. I suspect that there is something deeper. I suspect that there could be a real answer to all of the unexplained questions that I have had here all this time. I suspect that soon enough, my sister Lydia would be a target to go missing. And I know, not just suspect, that if I want to feel better about myself in the slightest, I need to find a way to make sure she stays safe, no matter what." I said, and then I was looking at my friend, and I was wondering what the hell I was even going to try and say now.

"I think that if you are right, that we should just let the stories slowly be revealed normally. I mean, that is something that always happens here anyways. There is no point in trying to change that because you are wanting to play good guy." My friend said, and I was tired of him saying something like this. I just wanted him to finally see my perspective here.

"I have a way to try and defend myself. I feel like I need to do my best if I am to actually feel better about myself. I think that trying is the one thing that I can actually do. Even if it fails, trying is something that I can say that at least I worked on." I said, and then I was seeing his face looking like he was wanting to sort of see my perspective. He was wanting to find a way to make me feel better. But at the same time, he was sort of thinking that I was just being too insane here. I was just wanting to do what I can to show him otherwise.

"Look Gabe, I know that you are probably just scared of things that just happened. I don't blame you for that. But the things in this town are settled down. There is no need to worry about this stuff anymore." He said, and then after he was saying this to me, I was just sighing, feeling like I needed to try and get to him a bit more.

"I want to try to help. I know that this might be a bit silly to you. I would sound silly to anybody else. But I want to see what I can do to make a difference. I want to at least try. For the sake of our friendship, can you please just listen to me?" I said, and then I was seeing him looking down. He hated it when I did that, but I knew that he was having a hard time not conceding to my statement. So with that, he nodded, as if feeling like he needed to just listen to me a bit more.

...

Josiah's POV -March 24 1993 1:56 am-: I was sitting down on the chair that I studied at a lot, or wrote my music when I could. I was just thinking about how hard this was going to be to go to school. I mean, going to bed at one or two, then waking up at seven thirty to be at school by nine, and then rinse and repeat. I am only a freshman in high school, and this is already the life that I am living. I had no idea how awful this was going to be, and if I knew what was to come in high school, I would have taken huge amounts of middle school doses all over again to make this never happen once more. But I guess that complaining about how awful this whole thing was would never really get me anywhere. Whining about something that was going to be a massive pain in the ass would never make any difference.

However, I stopped my work right when I was hearing the door open, and I turned around to see Gabe and Todd coming right in the house within two minutes of each other. "Trust me, that was not planned at all. I did not even know he was out at all." Todd said, and then he was looking at Gabe and then smiled for a split second, and then decided to mention the one thing that I had totally forgotten about this whole time. "By the way, happy birthday. Sorry that I did not tell you that earlier. I just sort of glossed over that whole thing."

Gabe was laying down on his bed, as if feeling like he was tired as shit, and did not even know where to begin how annoying everything had been. "I am probably just going to try and go to bed. I doubt that I can really even get myself motivated to do anything at all in the first place." Gabe said, as he was looking right at Todd and I. "Besides, I bet you both have a bunch of things that you need to on your own. With school and dating."

Then that was when I was laughing a little bit at that. Thinking that the way he was speaking about school was a bit strange considering that he was still in it. "Don't forget that we are still students at the same school for another two and a half months. So don't let yourself ride off too easily." I told Gabe, and he was moaning at that prospect, as if thinking that going to school was worthless, and that he was just needing to pretend like something like this was not really the case in the first place.

"I know. I just don't want to be thinking about the fact that I still have to deal with that piece of shit school for another two and a half months. I just want to put that whole thing behind me for once." Gabe said, and then he was looking right at Todd, and then he was sighing for a moment. "I wish that I was your age sometimes. If for nothing else, to get through this monotony faster."

"You say that, and then you start to deal with actual non school life, and by comparison going to school will seem like a delectable alternative by comparison. But I guess that you will see that soon enough." After Gabe said that, he was looking right at me. "Seriously, take advantage of these few years while you can. I would really hate it if you turn out to waste your years here by doing some random ass things." After he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he was truly meaning what he had said. I was thinking that I would start to just leave the subject alone. Since I did not want to even think of what it would be like to deal with non school life and stuff.

"As long as I get to perform my music once every month or two at the school, I guess that I will be fine. Trust me, I will rather have some fun with that than to be going out and working and stuff." I said, and then I was seeing Todd looking like in a few years, that would not be as true, but that when I was here, it was great that I was putting that before work and stuff. "I have no idea how you can be so dedicated to the idea of going to work and stuff. That seems so boring."

"I guess part of it is just to get the fucking hell out of this town. You know, just to pretend like there is a great chance and a great life outside of this place. I mean, I love a lot of the memories here. But trust me when I say that there are not a lot of places that I can go to that would really support what I want." He said to me, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing Gabe looking down as if he was thinking about that a bit. As if he was having a huge dilemma that was just kind of out of the blue.

"Is there something going on?" I asked, feeling like when I was seeing his face like this, then things really were getting very serious. I saw him looking down, as if thinking about what I had asked him. Thinking about what he was even going to want to tell me. If there was anything that he would want to say in the first place. But then he was feeling like he could trust us with whatever was going on in his mind.

"I think that I am going to try and solve the mysteries of Wayside. You know, before I finally leave. I mean, I know that it sounds silly. But I think that this town needs to know what is going on here, and I am going to try and finally put that theory to rest. I need to know the truth, and I will do anything to make sure that the answer is going to finally come to me." Gabe said, and then he was looking at me, and he was wondering what I would say. I think he knew that Todd was not going to love the idea too much.

"That is a really stupid idea Gabe. I mean, do you really think that you are going to find anything out?" Todd asked, and he was asking it mostly as a way to show his annoyance, but there was also a level of worry that he was displaying to his younger brother. He was really worried that he was going to do it. That was the thing that was really making him wonder if there was something else he should do to get Gabe to see how insane this idea actually was.

"It may be a stupid idea, but most people that I know have no idea at all. I mean, you know everything that has happened here the last few weeks. All the people that went missing and all the previously missing people that were found? I think that I need to at least understand the truth. I mean, I have gone into this debate many times before, but I feel like this is the correct path for me to go down." Gabe said, and then he was just sighing, and shaking his head, feeling like there was no way he would get us to see what he was feeling here.

"Do you actually think that you are going to get anything out of this? Like to be totally real on all of this, do you really think that you have any idea what the answers actually are?" After he was asking Gabe that, there was a look down on the ground, as if almost conceding inside that there was some truth to this whole thing. But that he was just having a hard time admitting defeat.

"I know you are probably right. But at the same time, I just feel like I would be an idiot if I did not do this. Even more than I already am." Gabe said, and then he was looking right at us, as if hoping that we were going to finally try and listen to him more. As if thinking that if he showed his his unrest idea on this, we would get it. I was feeling like I just needed to know what to say. But seeing him so lost and so gone was the one thing that I had wished that I could finally provide my older brother.

...

Seth's POV -March 24 1993 2:54 pm-: In all honesty, the fears that Gabe were having were going to quickly be proven true as there was a loud knock on the door, and there was some reaction to this moment that did put all of the three older siblings at unrest. I was not awake during the time, but hearing that knock instantly got me up. I was looking at the three oldest brothers, seeing that they were somehow able to not wake me up despite the fact that they were talking pretty loudly with each other. Then again, they were thinking that due to their age, they could stay up as late as they had wanted.

Gabe was getting up, and he was heading slowly to the door. He did not think that it was going to confirm his worst fears, but at the same time, he was thinking that it was really hard not to notice how strange the timing was, and he was just begging to himself deep down that the two events were not connected at all. Once he was at the door, he was slowly opening it. Todd and Josiah were right behind him, and then I was a few feet behind, casually watching due to the fact that I did not want to give myself away to my older siblings, and make them annoyed with me. I mean, this was a insane situation, and I was not going to let that shit go.

"Is there any help we can give you?" Gabe asked, and then the guy was starting to rummage around in his coat pocket. I was having some fear looking at this. For some reason, I was feeling like watching him do this was going to get me on edge. I was feeling like there was actually going to have to be something Gabe would have to do to defend himself. "I mean, I was going to be heading to sleep in a bit. I really should not be staying up right now." He said, and then the guy was eventually stopping him before he was able to close the door on this man with annoyance, to get him away from us just without any other debate to the whole issue. But then he was looking like this was vitally important.

"This is vital business. I have heard about some strange activity that has been reported here. I am here to simply ask a couple of questions." The man asked, as I was seeing both Josiah and Todd looking like they were kind of scared now. They did not like it, but they were now feeling like the fears that Gabe displayed earlier were having at least some form of validity. But they still wished that he did not involve himself in things that were out of his league, mostly for his own safety.

"If you really feel like I have the answers you need, then I can try to help you out. It might turn out to be a bit of a let down though." Gabe said, and he was hoping that this guy was going to get away from him. He wanted this man away from him. Because he was truly feeling like there was something that this man was wanting. He was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Nowhere close to it. But he was smart enough to know when the people were trying their best to use him for their own personal gain. There was no way around this whole thing, and he was ready to fight this person back if he was needing to.

"I was hoping that you could tell me some of the stuff that you know about this town. If you are able to know anything at all that is going on here." After he was saying this, I was seeing him looking like he was not really going to be messing around with this anymore. Gabe was looking right at us, and he was just thinking that as long as he was going to be respectful, and he was going to give the impression of not being bothered by him, then he was going to show this guy that he was not really messing around at this point.

"All that I know is that there is some fucked up shit going on in this town, and people are trying their best to pretend like none of this is happening. People are too scared to admit that there is something totally wrong with their town, because to do so would admit that this town is falling apart much more than they really even want to consider." Gabe was saying, and he felt like this was the best way he was going to react considering the situation, to get him to turn him down.

"Maybe the fucked up shit in this town that you are fearing is going on can help us understand what we are supposed to be looking for in the future. Your help will be very much appreciated." The man was saying, and he was placing his hand on the door, trying to get Gabe to talk, but Gabe was looking like he was not truly buying into it, and that the more this man was pressuring him, the more that he was going to get this man away from him.

"Listen, I wish that I would know more about this town than I already do. But I truly have no idea. I wish that I can help you, because doing such a thing would help me find some peace with myself. But that is just simply not possible. You really are better off looking at other places. I think that you got to understand that things are kept rather secret here anyways." After he was saying that to the man, he was really hoping that he was actually going to get this man to step down.

"I think that even if I knew more about this town, I would not feel too secure about opening up on this information to others. I do not want to dig other people into things that I might have some interest in. Especially if it is going to be as dangerous as I fear it to be. I would never let anybody get involved with that, no matter what the cost would be to that matter." Gabe said, and then the man was looking like he was trying hard to decide what he was supposed to believe, and if there was any level of truth to this statement.

"I would hope that if you learn more, then you might change your mind young man. We really need to have a clean idea of what is happening here, and what we all know." The man was telling Gabe, and then with that, he was walking away and then Gabe was slamming the door shut a bit harder than he was really planning on doing. Then he was looking right at us, and he was just shaking his head. As if he was tired of this whole thing already.

"So it looks like what you are saying might actually be true after all. Fuck, I thought you were just being a bastard on this. I guess that maybe you should be looking into something more. But you probably need to be more secretive about it. You know, to avoid this guy coming at you again." After Todd was telling Gabe this, there was clearly a small part of him that had hated to admit that his younger brother was right about anything. Especially the one who most people had felt was the dumbest one by a landslide. But as some people would say, even a broken clock was right twice a day.

"I think that if I wanted to figure out more of this, I would be smarter about it. But now I am not sure of if I would be stupid to pursue this stuff, or if I would be stupid enough to not look into it more. I think that either way, I am going to be a fucking idiot." He was saying, and then after he had said that, he was wondering what he was going to say now. But he was feeling like there was no point in trying to have this deep debate so late at night.

"I am going to bed now. I hope that you guys do not get in any more trouble." Josiah said, and then he was walking along, and then he saw me. "Did you see a lot of that?" He was asking me, and then I said that I saw the whole thing. Josiah looked like he was feeling hopeless at this whole thing. "Damn it. Just don't tell any of your younger siblings what you had seen. We do not want them aware of what is going on here." After he was saying that to me, I nodded, as if aware of what he had meant. I was young, but I still had a protective feeling with my seven younger siblings, and I had no desire to have them in danger.

...

Jack's POV -March 24 1993 7:26 pm-: I had finally fully settled down from all of the exercising that I had done, and I was feeling like I would be able to just relax for the rest of the day. I mean, I knew that I was supposed to do homework. But to be honest, I did not want to do it. I figured that another few minutes would be fine. Besides, I was still young enough to where I did really feel like it was going to be all that big of a deal. I felt like people were just making a huge deal out of things that were honestly being super over hyped.

I was feeling like if I wanted to get people to really show me what I was supposed to do with school, I might have been more willing to listen to them. But in all honesty, I was not really caring too much. I just wanted to be able to enjoy my life, and I wanted to enjoy the last couple of months that I had to deal with this bullshit known as school. I hated school, so I felt like doing something like sports were going to at least mildly increase the chances that I would have to possibly enjoy something like that.

I was seeing Seth sitting down on his chair, and he was looking like he was trying to find something that could get him into making more comedy material. I mean, as god awful as the jokes were, I knew that him not having comedy material was one of the strangest things that I could have ever seen. I felt like I needed to finally just try to see what was bothering him. I mean, maybe he would let me on the noises that were going on last night. I did not know what was going on, but I was having a feeling that it was none of my business.

So I went right to him, trying to find something to say that would get him to feel like he could be more open. "Are you having a hard time coming up with more comedy sketches?" I asked, and I was seeing Seth looking down for a couple of seconds. After he was done with that, he looked right at me, as if trying to finally have something that he could say that would fully describe the way that he was feeling. But at the same time, he truly knew that there was no point in fighting with me on this. It was just a simple question that I had asked him, and I felt like he was just needing to see that somebody was able to support him and stuff.

"I have a show coming up at the end of this week, and I want to find something that can get people to think that I am funny. I mean, I just want to get people to laugh. What is so awful about wanting what is best for everybody that I know? I just think that if I don't come up with something funny though, people will not fully respect what I want to convey. I just want to be funny for once in my life." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking right at me. He was wondering if I was going to actually have something to say. Or if I was going to not even try all that hard. I felt like this was a huge crisis for his standards.

"Just find something that you feel like is real. People love honesty." I said, and I was seeing Seth looking like such a thing was hurting him to even think about. That if he was wanting to be honest, he was going to just make himself feel even worse. I did not know what was making him feel this way. But I knew that whatever it was, this was a huge deal.

"But the people that I know are more exciting than me. There is nothing interesting about me in all honesty. Half of my comedy comes from the ideas and the craziness that I seen you guys portray." After Seth was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was scared. He was looking like he was wanting to just find something that can make a true difference. But that this whole thing was just going to be the worst task for him. "But there is something that I feel like I need to get me going. I think that if I just really capture the truth of what things are like here, and tell people stories about some things that I seen, then things are going to be fine. And not just some random stuff."

"See, you are already getting something going that can excite you. Just go with it, and don't let down. Once you do something like that, then everything is going to finally work." After I was saying that to him, he was looking like he was finally wanting to go with this idea. He was feeling like this was what he had needed. "I just hope that your plan can actually be able to work out."

"I will see what I can do. Maybe if you can have something that can help me, I would like to know. But don't worry about it too much right now. I am going to see what I can do on my own. See if there is some chance that I can capture how funny this life style you guys have lived truly is." After Seth said that, I was seeing him looking like he was ready to continue going, and see what he can do to make it all come together.

"I think that everybody is going to be fine. I just think that you are much too worried about about things that are not really that bad. I think that you just need to take things a bit easier, and people will see that as long as you are being more open about this, and you are being yourself, then they will not have any real problems with you." After I was saying that to Seth, I was feeling like I was going to have to find a way to make Seth think that I was helping him out as much as I felt like I could in this case.

"I hope that you are right. I just think as long as I am being myself, then things must surely work. I hope that none of this is really going to be biting me in the ass." Seth said, and then he was rubbing his eyes, as if thinking that this was the most important thing in the entire world. He was feeling like if he would mess this up, then nothing he would have done would have come together and actually have truly been worth it.

"I would not be all that worried about this stuff to be honest. I think that you just need to relax a bit more. I think as long as you are fine, then there will not be any real issues. Please don't worry about what people are thinking right now. They are just not even trying, and you are at least going out there and you are at least trying your best to make this whole thing work. You are doing great." I said, and Seth nodded, and he was unsure of what he was even going to be doing now.

"Thanks for talking to me about this whole thing. I just wish that I had as much confidence on this whole thing that you do right now." After Seth had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to find something else to keep this whole thing at some level of calm and collected behavior. But Seth was clearly looking like if he would fail on this whole thing, then he was going to have to lose everything that he had worked for before.

As I was walking out of the room, I was seeing Seth looking like he was just a bit worried about how he was going to handle this whole thing. He looked like he was just going to be riding everything off of this whole thing, and then the more that he was scared for what was going on now, Seth was feeling like he was just glad that at least one person here talked to him, and that he was glad to finally make this whole thing come together for this. But at the same time, Seth was never going to fully sure of himself, as I would later learn from interactions with him and stuff.

...

Lydia's POV -March 24 1993 8:58 pm-: I was going to be getting ready to be heading to bed for school the next day, when I was wanting to talk about Claire a bit longer. You know, since I had hung out with her a couple of times, and she was really fun, and I was having the time of my life finally being able to have a friend that I felt like I could truly be able to trust and respect. I was feeling like when I would see her again, I was going to offer to bring her to this house, and see if she would want to hang out a bit more. But I did not know if such a thing was going to be feasible. But I just wanted to try the best to get them over.

I was about to get ready to head to bed when I was seeing Dylan looking at me. He was looking right up at me, as if he was scared for a bit. I did not know what I was going to say, but I knew that I needed to try and make my younger brother as safe as possible. Feel like he was truly going to get somebody who cared for him and stuff to cease his fears. "Lydia, is there something wrong?" Dylan asked, and when I had heard him ask this question, he was looking like he was just scared out of his mind. He was truly looking like the very idea of something going on with the family was going to hurt him quite a bit.

"What do you mean? I mean, sure communication has never been the strong suit of this family, but I have nothing to think that there is something going on here." I said, and then Dylan was looking down, as if feeling like he was going to reveal something to me that was huge for him. But he felt like talking about it still was going to make things seem a bit better. "If there is something bothering you, just tell me. I really want to try and see what I can do to make you feel better." I was saying, and then Dylan started to speak, as if ready to truly make me understand his fears.

"I heard a conversation that Todd, Gabe and Josiah had last night. They talked about looking for something. I am scared. I am scared that they are going to get themselves hurt." Dylan said, and then I was seeing him wanting to find more. But at the same time, there was not much that he needed to say. He was feeling like he had already made his point clear enough. I looked down, as if unsure of what I was going to be telling him. I was feeling like there was something that was going to make him feel down, but not enough to brush it all off.

"They are our older brothers. They are allowed to be doing stupid stuff all the time. I would not be too worried about it. I think that they just want to help us out feeling like we are living in a town we can be proud of." After I had told Dylan this, I was seeing him looking like he was feeling like there was just not much that he was going to want to tell me. He was looking like he had wanted to say more, but that he was just having a hard time fighting with me.

"I want them to be safe." Dylan said, and then I was seeing that this was clearly the thing that was hurting him and scaring him more than almost anything else in his life. I knew that no matter what I was going to say, I was never going to get him to relax a bit. I was never going to get him to feel like there was a chance that he could express his deepest fears over what had happened.

"They will be safe. There is no way that they will do anything that is going to put themselves in danger. Todd wants to get a job somewhere, and Gabe is about to graduate high school, and he clearly wants to be happy out of here. Josiah I am not too sure, but I think he might be just thinking he is too young to do this. Besides, Gabe just celebrated his eighteenth birthday. There is no way he is going to be doing something to ruin his chance of life right away." I said, and then Dylan was looking like he was wanting to say more. But at the same time, there was not much to say. There was nothing that he was going to convince me, and he was aware that there was no point in even trying to make it work.

"I wish you are right. Please be right. I don't want to lose my big brothers." Dylan said, and then he was holding out his arms, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like this was the one hug he really needed more than anything else in the world. So I knew that there was no way in hell I was going to let my three year old brother just not get what he was wanting.

"I will do anything I can to make sure nothing happens to them. It might not be much, but to keep you happy, I will do it all." I would rather lose everything to keep my brothers happy, and I knew that I was going to need to be happy as well. I was going to show them Claire one day soon, and when I would do this, maybe they would start to understand what is going to make me feel a bit more happy than ever.

"I heard you have a new friend that you are having a lot of fun with. Henry told me so." Dylan said, and I was looking down at him, kind of shocked at the sudden transition, but I felt like perhaps I could tell him more, and then if he was liking how Claire sounded so far, then I would be able to get the two of them to be able to meet up, and then everything was going to come off without a hitch that way. I just felt like it was going to be the best that I would do to make it have any chance of working.

"Her name is Claire. I only met her yesterday. I really wish that she and I can meet up here at some day. Then you guys can love her, and then I would be really happy." I said to him, and then I was smiling at the idea of this whole thing coming together the way that I was wishing, and then I was seeing Dylan looking like he was trying to understand what was happening now. He wanted to get it. But with a severe lack of friends, he was having a hard time fully capturing it.

"Going to school will really open up your eyes to how exciting going to meet friends really is. I think that you just need to wait until something like this comes." I said, and then I was rubbing his hair. It was my way of showing affection to my younger siblings. Henry was starting to look like he was kind of getting annoyed with it, but he was probably just thinking that he was some big kid now, and that this was just going to be annoying to deal with. I did not think too much of it though. I felt like I could still be able to get maybe another year or so out of it.

"I hope that my friends are going to be super awesome like you and my brothers." Dylan said, and I was feeling so glad to think that he was still really liking me. Despite the feeling that sooner or later, I would be letting him down, I did not want him to feel like anything that I was saying was just to make him feel down and make him pissed at what was happening. I just wanted to make him feel like he was able to really get something going here.

"I should be heading to bed. I hope that you have a great night Dylan." I said, and then I was going to my bed, and I was thinking that the sleep that would come would be great. I mean, I always loved going to school to hang out. But I always loved going to sleep more, and I was just feeling like as long as I was in that bed, then everything would be just fine.

...

Henry's POV -March 24 1993 9:47 pm-: Nobody knew what I was doing, since I was aware that if I would get caught, then people were going to be pissed at me. But I was sitting down on the front steps of the house. I liked looking at the darkness of the night. There was something about it that made me feel like there could be something to lay back on. I mean, I was unsure of what else I could be able to say about the matter besides that. But there was no way in hell that I was going to be spending my last few minutes awake with being in the house, bored out of my mind, and not getting what I wanted at all.

I was thinking that if I stayed out for a bit longer, then people were going to be seeing me out here, and they were not going to be too angry once they would see me. They were going to just simply be more glad that I was alive, and that I was doing relatively well and stuff. That I was not getting myself in danger, and that I was not letting anything get to me. I felt like when they were going to see something like this, they would get over it. They would tell me that the main real fear was people getting in the way of seeing me. That they were going to hate the fact that I was just hang out with people. I was feeling like my family just wanted to make sure that I did nothing stupid, not just not get anything at all. I just felt like there was something that could make it all seem like it was worth it.

I did not know how I could describe it in a concise way, but I was having true fear that something was going to be happening soon. Some really bad fear and stuff. I was feeling like I needed to just be ready for anything that can come at me. That if I did not get prepared, then something was going to happen to me. I wanted to live, and I wanted to be happy with the life that was going on around me. I did not care what it was going to be taking in order to fully get there and stuff.

I was seeing Gabe come home, and he was looking like there was something that was bothering him a bit more. As he was looking right at me, I was seeing him go from sad and lost to just scared and confused. Like he could not believe that anybody would not notice what was happening, and he was feeling like he would have to find a way to keep me aware of the fact that I was supposed to never do something like this. He opened up the door, and I was seeing him looking like there was just something that he wanted to tell me, but felt there were no real words for the situation at all. I just did not think that it was going to matter at all what was really happening around me.

"What are you even doing out this late? You know you are going to get in so much trouble if mom and dad see you doing this?" After he was asking me this, I wanted to say something else. But despite what I was wanting to say, I knew that there was that fact that deep down, he had been right on this whole thing. I just wished that he was not going to be telling my parents about it. "Oh my god, you need to go to bed right now. Before mom and dad get angry at you for this." Gabe said, and then he was opening up the door, wanting to just bring this whole thing to a close now.

After I was inside of my house, and Henry was at my mind, I was feeling like I needed to find something else to say now. "Gabe, is there something bothering you?" I asked, and I was wanting to bring some level of discussion to this whole thing. I wanted to try and avert his annoyance at what I had done, and I felt like talking to him about his issues was going to be doing just this. That getting him to open up with what was bothering him, then he was going to just find a way to not want to scream at me for just simply staying out at the front yard.

"I do have something that is bothering me. Nothing that you should be worried about. I would never want you to be worried about something that you can't really change. You're just a kid. You need to find a way to keep things happier." Gabe said, and I was wanting to find something else to say. But there was a part of me that was thinking that due to our large age gap of thirteen years, he was never going to truly think that I could be able to understand what it was like. To understand the pain that he was going through or something like this.

"Are you ever going to talk to people about it?" I asked, and I was seeing looking like he was unsure. He did not even know if he was wanting to talk about this whole subject more at all. I was feeling like if he wanted to talk to me about what was bothering him, he would be able to be honest about it with me. But I knew that there was no way that he was going to take it seriously.

"I might talk to Todd about it. I think that he might have something to tell me. You know, just something that can make me feel like I am not losing all hope here. But I guess that nobody will really get it." Gabe said, and then I was seeing him looking right at me. He was clearly wanting to say more. But he felt like there was no real need to do such a thing.

"Do you think Todd likes you?" I asked, and I was just truly being serious with this whole thing. I knew that this was going to be strange for Gabe to consider, if he could consider it too much. But at the same time, I felt like it was a valid question, with the way that Gabe had always been treated by Todd over time, and I was feeling like there was something that I needed to say to him to get the point across.

"I know he doesn't like me. I can tell with the way he looks at me. He thinks I am stupid and don't deserve the right to do most things. He thinks that I should just give up on everything without even trying. It is kind of mean, but I know that at least he is being honest. Even if he never says the way that he is feeling to me. I can just feel it with his look on his face." Gabe looked right at me, wondering what I was going to say to him. I felt like if I was going to say more, he was looking like he would want to cry a bit.

"I mean, he is supposed to be there for me and listen to my goals. I live in his shadow forever. I can't imagine what it is like for you though. Always knowing that there were six siblings who did everything first. That you do not get to ever really have the thrill of going first." Gabe told me, and I looked down and I knew that he was right.

"I want to be myself. I don't want to just be looked at the younger brother of half of my siblings. I want to be a big kid." I said, and then I was looking at Gabe, and I was seeing him looking like he was thinking a lot about that statement. He was looking like the statement he would make would make no difference, but it would be a starting point to go off of here.

"Don't worry about what other people think of you. Just do the thing you like the most, and people will think that you are a great kid." He said, and then he hugged me a bit. I was thinking that I would really appreciate it when that stopped, but I did not say anything. With that, I went to bed, and Gabe was going to his room to study and then I was wondering if Todd was ever going to try and make up to Gabe. If he felt like there was ever a need to do such a thing, and if he was going to say that he would rather be honest than just lie about liking people.

...

Dylan's POV -March 25 1993 2:06 am-: I was just still staying up a bit longer, hoping that after a while, I was going to be able to hear some things that could help me understand what is happening here. I mean, holy crap, I just really wanted to see what my siblings were up to. I was just really worried about what they were actually going to be doing, and I would do anything to help make sure they were safe. Well, anything that three year old me would have been able to do to bring it together. To try and keep them safe. I was more worried about that than anything else.

I was thinking that if something was going to be putting my brothers in danger, I would have been the worst type of person if I did not keep them safe. I would see that I could do anything to bring it all together. I mean, when I was hearing them talk about things around the town, I was feeling like there was something that I needed to believe here. That there was a monster that was going on that was going to get my brothers killed. I was thinking that I would find a way to tell my parents what was going on.

As as I was starting to go to sleep, knowing that nothing else was going to make a difference, and then that was when I was hearing a conversation a bit more. I was seeing Josiah and Todd standing at the entrance of the room, and I was seeing that even at my age, that they were being totally serious. That this was one time that nothing else was going to matter. "The younger ones are really starting to get too deep into this whole thing. I wish that I find a way to get them to understand that they should not be in on this. But they are too young to comprehend. Plus there is Gabe, who is too dumb to comprehend." After Todd was saying that to Josiah, I was seeing Josiah looking like he was wanting to find something to say. But that it was not even going to matter anymore. Josiah was unsure of what he was even wanting to say in the first place.

"Hey at least he is trying. I mean, say what you want about him, but at least he actually has a good enough heart to be trying to do what is right. I wish that I had that courage. Maybe we should be trying to see if he is right. I mean, that one guy who showed up scared the fucking shit out of me. And there is no better way to describe it besides that." After Josiah had said that to Todd, that was when the oldest sibling was looking like he was having a wildly mixed feeling on what he was supposed to be saying now.

"I guess that you might be right. But the thing is that if we are just working on a game of trying, then I think that we need to just look at everybody else who has done everything. The people who would do anything in order to win the fight and stuff. I guess that I should go a bit easier on him. I just wish that he was not so much of a fucking naive guy." After Todd was saying that to Josiah, he was wondering what he was going to say to Todd's comment here, to see if he was even going to make any real difference on the actual matter.

"I think that when I saw that man coming to visit us, and I was starting to become scared for the first time, I would throw away any idea of arguing with him on this matter. I know that there is no way in hell that I am going to pretend like everything is all fine here. But I guess that people are just willing to admit things only when it is being presented right to them." Josiah said, wondering what to say now. "I mean, before that visit, I did not think that it was even going to matter all that much.

"I don't know. I think that if it was this bad, then dad would have been making this one of his top priorities. I really doubt that he would not really look into something if he did not think it was important. So that is why I think that we just need to be realistic on this whole thing. I am not saying that it isn't true, but I think that even with yesterday, there must be more to this than we really believe." After Todd said that, I did not know if this was him in denial, or if he was truly feeling that way.

"Maybe dad does not care to look for the truth as much as we believe we does. Have you ever thought that maybe he just does this for the pay check, and that he does not actually believe in any of this? I mean, it is quite possible. I never believed in any of this. So I think that we got to at least look at that option before we just shoot it down." After Josiah said that, he was really hoping that his brother could be more open to this whole thing than he had been.

"I think that there is no reason to look at our dad like that. He was elected to protect the state. He was elected to the senate because people thought that he could be able to make a difference. I have to believe that he is doing the best that he can in order to make something like this happen. And if there is something that is actually going on, he would have given it his best shot to bring it down, and make sure it would not happen." Todd said, and then he was sighing, unsure of what there was to say now.

"Nobody is perfect is the thing. Nobody is going to ever be able to fully accomplish what they are fully set out to do. I mean, that is perfectly fine to accept. There is no need to worry about something like this so rough. Just please see that there could be something going on here. If it can affect our family, then would it be worth going into the look of it?" Josiah said Todd, and then that was when Todd was rubbing his eyes, as if truly unsure of what he was going to say now.

"I know you are right. I just think that there is more to this than we may be thinking. I think we have to at least look at what it is like to at least consider all the options. I think that it is possible that dad might be hiding something. There is nothing wrong with suspecting. But there is nothing wrong with also saying that maybe dad is still doing the best that he could." After Todd was saying this, he was wondering what was even going to be said now in the first place.

"I just wish that I knew the truth. But I guess that it will not matter. Once I leave this town, I never have to think about it again. I never have to think about what is going on here. I can just pretend like this is not happening. That would be one of the best things that I can do for my own sake. I just wish that there was not a need to pretend, and that it just flat out would be the truth that nothing was happening." Todd said, and then he was unsure of what to say now, if there was more to say at all.

"I guess that every town has it secrets. So if you plan to be leaving this place to just not deal with those anymore, then I think that we are just too focused on doing something that is not going to make a difference. I mean, let's be honest, none of us are really going to make a change." After Josiah said that, he was feeling like that was all that he needed to say now.

"I just wonder what those secrets are." Todd said, and as I was listening to this whole thing, along with the last couple of days, I was just getting more and more confused. I was feeling like there was something that I needed to get. They were talking like it was really important for all of us to get it. But at the same time, I just was not even coming close to being able to fully understand what the meaning to this all was.

...

Drake's POV -March 25 1993 3:05 am-: After the conversation was all done, I was feeling like everything was going to be finally coming together. I was wondering what the hell we were going to be doing now. I was just feeling like when I would be awake more, I would need to try and understand what it was all going to be like now. I was looking right at Dylan, wanting to find something else that was even going to say now. I was feeling like I would just say something simple to start with. "Hey Dylan, what did you think of that conversation that Todd and Josiah just had?"

"I am scared of what they are talking about. I just wish that I was able to know what they are talking about." After Dylan was saying that to me, I was just sort of unsure of what was going to happen now. I was feeling like when he had said that, I was just going to be sort of lost for the rest of this talk. "I mean, besides, even if we asked, they will not let us know."

"Maybe when we can finally play outside, the two of us can look into what is going on here, and we can finally see the truth." I suggested to Dylan, and I was wondering what I was going to be doing now. I was wondering if he was actually going to listen to my idea, or if he was just going to be pushing me down, and acting like this idea was a really terrible one.

"That would be a lot of fun. I know that mom and dad will ground us for it. But I think that it will be worth it. I just want to know what it is showing us, and then the answer is going to be all fine." After Dylan had said that to me, I was nodding, as if actually finally liking an idea of his for once, and I was thinking that maybe he was not such a bad guy after all. Once we were getting to the parts that interested us. I just wish that we had more in common. But I guess such a thing was just not possible.

"I want to go out and have some fun. I think that waiting an extra two years is going to suck so bad." I said, and I was really dreading the prospect of waiting two more years to play outside, and I was wondering what really was so bad about going out and having fun outside. I guess that we just needed to not argue with our mom, and if we did it, wait until she was out at all. But such a thing was seeming to be impossible. The idea of actually having mom out of the house for a few hours was an idea that just seemed to be out of this world.

"Going out and having fun is worth everything that we might be finding ourselves doing." I said, and then I was actually finding myself meaning what I had said here. But then before I could be able to think about it too much longer, I was looking at the ceiling and I was just thinking that everything going on around here was going to be sort of like a great exploration. "Hey Dylan, do you think that there is going to be something happening soon? With Gabe and stuff? I think that something is going to be putting him at his comfort zone." I said, and then I was saying that to Dylan, I had no idea what to say now.

"Gabe will be fine. He is just having some things to read on. I think that there is nothing wrong." After Dylan was saying this to me, he was sitting up, and he was looking at Todd and he was unsure of what the hell he was going to be saying at this point. "I think that Todd leaving soon is going to be sad. I miss him, and I want him to be safe. I don't want anything to actually happen to him." Once Dylan had finished saying this, and then he was just looking down at the bed. He was feeling awful for what was going on. Dylan just wanted Todd to be fine, and there to be a family together. "I just want us to still be a family."

I had no idea what I was going to be saying to this statement. I felt like there was much more that I needed to say to this whole matter. I was wanting to make Dylan feel better. Because if he was not happy, then I was going to feel like everything that I would have tried to be dealing with was going to be thrown out the window. And I did not want that to be the case at all either. "Our family is still here. Just because one of us is not here does not mean we are not a family. We just will not be a family that is super connected with each other. Mom and dad talk about it being a natural idea of getting older." I said, and then I realized that if I was getting older, and this was happening, then that meant that soon enough, we were going to have to go out and do this. That was before I knew that I had to be eighteen before being legally allowed to move out.

"What if he never comes back? Then we never see him again. It would be one of the worst things ever." Dylan told me, and then I was shocked to see him being this insecure about something like this. I did not know that matters relating to the family were of that great level of importance. I was just thinking that there was more to it than he was making it out to be, and that he needed to be more relaxed on this. There was no way it would be this bad.

As we were saying that, I was thinking that there was some truth to the idea that maybe Todd would not really come back. But I felt like Dylan was still not giving him enough credit, and that it was more likely than not that he would be coming back sometimes. "I think that he will at least be coming back for Christmas and stuff. I doubt that he will try to never see us again." I said, and I was trying my best to sound like I was believing in it while also just trying my best to be making Dylan feel better to this whole thing.

"I can't wait for Christmas to happen. It is so exciting to have that every year. But I just wish that you are right. I hope Todd comes back and sees us at least for those couple of days every year." After he was done saying that, I was seeing him looking like he was slowly looking like he was getting more and more used to this idea. He was slowly looking like he was not totally hating this statement. As long as it was going to be true.

"If he does not come home for Christmas, then I am going to cry. It saddens me to think about it." After Dylan was saying that, he had felt like he had made his point, and that he did not need to be thinking about it out loud anymore. Or else I was going to be annoyed with him, and I was going to be telling him off. Which I did not want him to be doing. But at the same time, I was just unsure of what was even going to happen now.

"Thanks for talking to me. I am going to go to sleep now. I just think that we are too worried about this." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was sort of laying down, feeling like when I was going to be fine on my own, that everything was truly going to be fine. I did not need to worry about what was going on around me. I was just thinking that Todd would listen to Dylan if he had heard his fears, and try to work with him here.

As the two of us were going to sleep, I truly had no idea what the hell we were even going to be doing now. I had just wished that maybe Dylan was going to really respect my perspective. But I guess that maybe when Todd was going to leave, he would try to tell us when he was possibly going to be trying to come back. As a way to sort of alleviate our fears on the matter. To make us feel like he was not leaving us alone, and that he did love us like we expected.

...

Levi's POV -March 24 1993 6:29 pm-: I was sitting down on a couch, and I was sitting on top of Lydia, who was watching some television with me. I knew even at the time she did not get the appeal of the show that I was watching. That being said, I was still glad that she was at least pretending to enjoy it. I was glad that she was thinking that doing this was more important than just brushing me off for things that she could have been doing that was going to be much more fun to do. I felt like perhaps she deserved to have more given to her as a result though. But then I was seeing Gabe walking in the house, and he was holding something like a duffel bag with two of his left hand fingers.

As he was walking back to his room, Lydia decided to be calling out to him. "Hey Gabe, what is going on right now?" She asked, feeling like she was watching something really important. Gabe looked right at her, as if unsure of what he was going to be telling his younger sister. If he was wanting to tell her the truth of what he was doing, or if he was still wanting to keep her safe and stuff. But then he was thinking that soon enough, she was going to be old enough to understand, and he was probably thinking that I was still young enough to not fully get verbal communication.

"Something very important for a big event I am going to be a part of. I mean, I think that you should not be brought into this. It is too much for you to understand." Gabe said, and then he was scratching his small amount amount of chin hair. He probably hadn't shaved since Ridge was brought home, which was four or five days ago, and was probably needing to clean up soon enough. Since he was always worried about visual appearance. "Trust me, I would not ever dare bring you guys into stuff that I am looking for. I might be a failure on a lot of things. But I never thought that I was a bad brother." Then with that, he was going right to his room, and I was looking at Henry, who had just walked right into the kitchen to grab a drink, and he had just heard that whole thing.

"What is going on with him right now?" Henry asked, as if feeling like this whole thing was just a bit much to try and understand. I mean, he was only five, so I did not blame him. But it was a bit much for me as well. I was thinking that perhaps I needed to see what was going on with Gabe. I might be just old enough to start to have some idea of what was bothering him, if I was trying hard enough. But then before there was any chance to do that, there was a loud knock on the door.

Gabe sighed in annoyance, and then he was placing something in his pocket. I did not know what this thing was, and to be honest, I was thinking that in a way, I did not want to know. I was seeing him answer the door, and then when he answered the door, he was seeing that same guy that had talked to him earlier. I was able to understand that the look on his face was one of actual anger. I was seeing Henry coming out into the living room, to see what was even happening in the first place. There was that part of him that knew that whatever was going to be happening was going to be too good to pass up on.

"I told you before, and I will tell you again until you get it in your head, that I do not know what is going on here." Gabe said, and then he was looking like for the first time in my entire life, he was actually going to possibly let his anger seep through. He was hardly ever angry, so seeing him like this was actually one of the biggest signs this wold has ever seen that there was something going on when he was losing it.

"We think that you might know something after all. We think that you have something that we need." The guy was saying, and then he was holding out his hand. He was looking like he was giving Gabe the look that if he had wanted this, he would have just gotten this already. If he wanted something, then it was his own civil right to steal it from Gabe.

"Keep my family out of this. If you ever bring them into this again, then I will have no choice but to defend them." Gabe said, and then after he had said that to the guy, he was holding his ground on this. The guy was starting to place his hand on the door, and he was getting ready to try to come in. Then with that, Gabe pressed his hand hard on the arm of that man. He was not going to be taking no for an answer. He was going to do whatever it would take to get this guy away from them, even if it was going to include physical violence.

"Do you think that I can just let this go? I have to get what you are holding. It is the only way it you can really help." The guy was saying, and then was entering the house as best as he could, and then before anything could happen, Gabe kicked him down the stairs. Then he was landing on the ground, and then was getting himself up. I saw from the tip of my eyes that the guy was taking out a gun to fight with.

Gabe was now realizing that he had no choice but to fight back. There was something that he had to do in order to protect us. Gabe was wanting to do whatever he could, but I was feeling like there was some form of suicide to be doing this with nothing to defend himself with. Then Lydia picked me up, and went to the door while Henry followed us. Gabe was going down the first step, and then he was taking something out of his pocket. It was something like a silver hilt or something. I did not know what the hell he even wanted. But he was willing to do what he could to make us safe.

Then he pressed the red button, and then there was a blue blade that was coming right out of the hilt. Then he was looking at it for a couple of seconds before taking a long and deep breath. Then after he was done with this, he was looking right at the man, ready to fight back if he needed to. Then the guy was firing the gun, and the bullet hit the ground after Gabe jumped off of the rail and fell down the couple of feet to the ground.

Then with that, he was looking right at the guy who had pretty much put our lives to danger. Then the guy was firing again, and the bullet hit the flower pot right next to it. I was well aware of the fact that this was a really bad event. Our mom was going to be pissed beyond all belief, and I was thinking that she was going to be screaming for a good several minutes when she would be seeing something like this. Then Gabe was walking towards the guy, as the man with the gun fired again, and this time, Gabe blocked it with the blue blade.

Before another shot could be fired, Gabe swung the blade right at the guy, and he was ready to face any trouble with the law that would be coming along after this, since he was feeling like he did whatever he had to in order to keep us safe. When he swung the blade, it made a line right across the man's upper chest, and then the gun dropped right down to the ground. Then he fell down as well. Gabe was looking at the man, wanting to find something to say now.

"You do not know what you are getting yourself into. You need to understand that this town is not yet ready for any of this. You need to try and see it from my perspective. You would do whatever it took to try and keep this place safe, if you were given the choice." Then the guy closed his eyes, and then Gabe was putting the silver hilt away in his pocket, and he was looking right at Lydia, Henry and I. As if finally accepting that his life went to the fucking gutter then.

...

Ridge's POV -March 25 7:49 pm-: I was still unsure of what was going on, and I barely had any visual memory of anything at all. I just know what my parents and other people tell me, much like last time and probably every other entry for like the first two to three years of my entire life. I was being held by Henry, who grabbed me, because he was scared of what was happening, and besides Lydia was already dealing with Levi, so he felt it was only fair to look for me to help make things easier for his two older siblings. As this was happening, there was a police car coming right towards the house, trying to get a sense of what had happened during the battle and stuff. And they were going to try and act like they were going to be patient, despite how much they hated what was going to be happening now.

"Everything is going to be fine Ridge. Don't worry about anything." Henry said, and then he was holding me as tightly as he could. He was walking me out of the house, and then the police had gone out of the car, and Gabe was standing next to the body that he had just had a battle with. Lydia and Henry were both looking like they were scared, but knew that they needed to keep it together for the sake of the conversation. When people tell me what happened, I do vaguely recall extreme crying, even if I do not remember that on my own. The crying was coming from both me and Levi, as I was told.

The officer was right in front of Gabe, and decided that his questions were going to be direct, but they were still going to at least try and understand what was actually happening in the first place. "Can you please tell me what happened? That way I can help you out understanding what is going on." The officer said, and then Gabe was looking like this was a bit much for him. But he was more than willing to tell the police officer everything that he could if it would mean that the officer would be able to understand how to help him out here.

"Well, there was a loud knock on the door, and I was worried about who it was. Since I have seen this guy before. He was there, and he tried to break into the house. I kicked him back, and I had no choice but to fight back. I had no choice but to stop him. He took out a gun and I was shocked at this, and I ended up killing him. I had no intention to do this. But at the same time, this was something that I just had to do. I hope that you don't mind what I just did." Gabe said, and he was feeling like he was going to be considered the biggest monster that this town had ever seen.

"It was self defense. Legally you are fine. But the main thing that I am wondering if why he even bothered doing this in the first place. I mean, it seems a bit odd for him to be targeting you guys. I mean, your dad I can understand. Even your mother to a small extent. But you guys seem to be a normal set of kids. So I just don't really get it." The officer said, and then Gabe hated the idea of lying, but at the same time, he was feeling like he just had to do this in order to get the people away from him.

"Seriously, I have no idea. I was sort of wanting to see what I can do to figure out if any of the folk tales in this town are true. But I did not think that it was going to get myself in danger. And to a extent my younger siblings. I very much regret this whole situation for all the parties that are involved." Gabe apologized, feeling like as long as he was civil with the police, they were not going to be brushing him off. As long as he was going to finally just be there with them, and work with their problems, he was going to get them off his back, and it would be fine.

"Don't worry about it. You had no idea what was happening. Please, just don't do anything too outrageous. We need to do the investigation, and it would be rather nice if you guys do not get in the way of what we are doing." After he was saying this, I was probably able to tell that he was just wanting this whole thing to be over with. He wanted to just let this go, but it was going to be much harder than he would have thought.

"Be a good big brother and stay there for your siblings. I think that they are going to need this more than anything else right now." The officer said as there was the doctors van coming by, and then there was one of those stretchers with the black bag on it, and the guy was slowly being put in the black bag as there was a small audience coming along to see what was happening at the house in the first place.

"Do you have any idea what can be done to find out what is going on?" Gabe asked, and then he was seeing the officer looking right at him. As if feeling like it was time to finally be honest with him. Even if such a thing was going to be hard for him to do. Since Gabe was a good guy, and he did not want to have any issues with him, and he did not think that Gabe did anything on purpose that was going to get his own siblings into trouble or anything.

"To be completely real with you, I doubt that we are really going to learn what is happening here any time soon. As long as this is a one off case, then there will not be all that much of a issue to it. But if this continues, just do what you can to make sure that nothing harms your siblings or you. But that being said, I am not too sure on your odds on making this whole thing work." He was saying, and he was feeling like despite the fact that he was going to be getting Gabe pissed at this, he was just feeling like the real ness to what he was saying was going to finally make it work out for the best.

"I will do what I can. Please try your best to help solve what is going on. I am scared of what I just got myself into. And I am even more scared for the safety of my siblings." Gabe said, and he was looking like this was the worst thing that he would ever have to deal with in his life. Like this was the one thing that was going to make him truly think that he had made a huge mistake that should have never been made at all.

"You will be fine. If you really are too worried about this, then once a day for about two weeks or so, we can have the police come by and see what is going on here." The officer offered, and then Gabe was looking down, as if conflicted on his answer, and what he was going to want to tell the officer. If it was his choice, he would have told this man to do this. But since he was worried about what his parents would say, he knew that he could not make the choice on this matter. It was their final decision.

"I think that it might be best for my parents to decide what to do. They might not be super excited to let the police here all the time after all." After he was telling that to the officer, he was seeing the officer looking like this was a decent enough answer. Even if he was feeling like there was some validity to the idea of letting the cops see what was going on for the first couple of weeks.

"Alright. We will come by tomorrow at least and see what they have to say. After that though, we will see what to do then. See you tomorrow if you are going to be here then. And until then, just stay put and don't let anything get to you too bad." After the officer said that, he was heading to his car, just thinking that perhaps he was going to be getting some time to really process what was going on. Then Gabe was looking at us, as if feeling like he was sort of done with this entire situation, one way or another.

...

Todd's Jr.'s POV -March 25 8:34 pm-: I was sitting down at the chair of the room of that I had applied for. As I was sitting down, I was unsure of what I was going to be saying now. I was thinking that as long as I was calm, and I was polite, I was going to get the job. After all, it was just a video store. It was a simple job, and was not even all that big of a deal and stuff. "So Todd, how committed are you to this job that you are looking for right now?" The boss of the video store was saying, and he was looking like he was just wanting to see if I was going to be faltering on this.

"I want to show people that I can take care of the jobs that are given to me. I want people to see that I have what it takes to deliver a good performance. I want to help this store as much as I can in the time that I am here." I said, and I was not really fully buying what I was saying, but I needed to continue going because I wanted this man to give me the job. I needed something to get me going. I needed to have some form of revenue. "You know, my younger siblings watch a lot of television and stuff. If I talk to them about what movies they might like and stuff, it can help me with telling customers about the options. If you really need me to, I can stay an extra couple of hours after each shift in order to watch some new movies to do the job."

The person who was owning this store actually looked like this was a valid point, and that it could actually make him have a better time with the running of this place. Then with that, he was starting to think that this might be one of the best points that I could have done. Probably the only one that was going to have any real chance to save my application. "Well, what days are you able to work? Before I say yes, I need to find use that as a starting point."

"I am free for the weekdays. I could come over during the weekends, but I might be trying to apply to a school or something, and I think that I need to set the weekend up in order to get some progress with applications and stuff." After I had said that to him, I was wondering what he was even going to be saying now. He was looking like this might be a bit of a annoying point. But that at the same time, he was thinking that it could work.

The man was handing me a piece of paper, as if thinking long and hard about what was happening now. "Here you go, just sign here and here, and let's see how you can handle being given a chance at this." He was saying to me, and the piece of paper was showing a area for me to sign my name, and the paper was also telling me stuff like hours and wages and stuff. I was thinking about it a bit, and then I sighed, feeling like this was going to be better than nothing at all. I was then starting to slowly sign it, as if sort of feeling like I was going to regret this rather quickly.

"You start on the 29th, which is next Monday. Come here from Monday to Friday. Noon to four every day, and when you are done with your shift, if you would be fine, I can give you a couple of hours to watch one of our hand picked movies every day in order to have a back log on the movies we have. You will start at the minimum wage of 4.25 an hour. Stay around for a while and we can see what to talk about with any possible raises and stuff." He said, and then I nodded, feeling like this was the best that I was going to do. I knew that I was not going to be getting anything better than this. But I just wanted to see what I can do to make it all work out.

"Thanks for giving me a chance. I really needed it given everything that is going on at my house." I said, and then he was slowly nodding, hoping that he was not going to regret this too badly. But at the same time, he was still sort of unsure of what he was going to do to actually make any real difference on the matter.

As I was heading out of the room, the man I was talking with called out to me. "There aren't that many employees here, and I can only have one person here per shift. So please do not flake out on coming here or anything. At least not during the first few weeks here. If you miss too many days, I will just have to let you go, no matter how good you are." After he was saying that to me, I was then nodding, unsure of what the hell I was going to say. If I was going to find something else to say that would make it better for me and stuff.

I was then getting outside of the video store, and I was seeing my car, and I went right to it. I got in the drivers seat, and I was looking at Bebe. I brought her here after we hung out for a couple of hours, and I was unsure of if this was actually going to work. But I was glad to finally have a chance to have some time with her outside of dates and stuff.

"Hey, I got the job, somehow. Maybe there just were not that many people who were working here, and he just needed the extra person at the office. Anyways, you told me you wanted to meet my family. If you still want to do that, then we can do that right now." I said, and then after I had told Bebe that, she was nodding, as if able to appreciate the fact that I had finally gotten something for myself and stuff.

"Let's do it. Good job on getting the job. I hope that nothing messes it up right away." After Bebe had told me that, I nodded as if thinking that this was something I can agree on. I was just wishing that I can keep it at least until I was able to move out, and I could be able to put in my two week notice, and be done with it. I don't know how much difference it was really going to make. But it did not really matter all that much what I was planning here. "Let's go and see your family though. They must certainly love the idea that you are having a job now." After she had said that to me, I was just starting the car, and I was ready for what was going to be happening now.

I was starting the car, and I was just unsure of what I was even going to tell them. I was unsure of if they were going to believe that I was actually going to get the job for a very long period of time. I was sort of thinking about what I can say to Bebe now. "I have to admit, this is making me feel like I am finally having a chance to get a life that I like. I can finally feel like I am contributing to the house in some way." I said, and I was just unsure of if what I was saying was even going to matter all that much. I just wanted to find a way to make it seem like I was not going to be screwed here.

"I think that you will be fine. You were telling us on our date that you wanted to go out and get that job. Now that you got it, you will do great. I think you just need to stop worrying about this so much." After she was saying that, I parked the car, and I was seeing that there was some caution tape all over the area, and I had no idea what the hell to say now.

"Just when I thought that everything was going to finally be fine, this shit happens." I said, and then I was looking at Bebe. I was unsure of what the hell I was going to say now. I was just feeling like no matter what, I was going to have to do my best to not be losing my mind, and getting angry at the person who had wanted to hurt my family. And maybe deep down concede Gabe had a point to this.

...

Gabe's POV -March 26 1993 1:46 pm-: I was about to head out to go and hang with some people for a bit. Due to the police situation last night, my parents were able to get permission from all of our classes to let us have an extra day off. Since Spring break started next week anyways, my parents did not think it would have been too awful to let us have an extra day off. Which meant that I had until the fifth of April to get used to the fact that this whole thing happened, and to mildly recover from what had happened and stuff. I was ready to head out when Todd was calling out to me.

"Hey, I just wanted to say that I was sorry. Sorry for just laughing all your fears away. I mean, you had to literally fight for the protection of our siblings. I guess that maybe there really is something going on here. I don't know what it is, and quite frankly I don't really care. All that I do care about and all that I do know is that you saved our siblings, and you actually kept them safe another day longer. I guess that I owe your my thanks." Todd said, and then I was looking down, just unsure of what I was wanting to say at this rate.

"You know, I was thinking about it. I mean, you are going out there and you are now having a job and you are having a possible girlfriend. You want to leave this town. I mean, I thought that you were just being a bad person wanting to go out and simply have a fucking life. I guess that maybe I was the one who was being slightly messed up here. I should have finally been looking at it your way. I guess that maybe I was wrong myself." I said, and then after I was done saying that to him, I saw Todd looking like he had finally felt like we were going to have some form of casual getting along here.

"I mean, I still don't really support your beliefs of a large underlying plot or anything like but. But I will not stop you from believing in something like this. I guess that it really does not matter now. I hope that you have fun out there. As much as you can with the situation going on right now. Just make sure that you don't get too many people into this. I just don't want this getting more and more out of hand, and for you to bring more people into this." After Todd said this, I was nodding, thinking that he was right. I just simply walked out of the house, and then I was walking right towards my friends place and stuff. I did not know what I was going to tell him, but I was just thinking that as long as I was going to be nice to him, and did not rub it in his face, he would not be too rude back as well. Not that it really mattered too much since it was never really a fight.

I was walking towards my friends place, and as I was going there, I was sort of unsure of what the hell I was going to be able to say to him. I might as well just start with something that was in my mind lately. The fact that I simply wanted to apologize for everything that had been going on here, and that I wanted to make him feel better about this type of stuff. Make him aware that I knew it was not his fault what was going on with the town. And I can tell him that I was over this stuff and stuff.

Eventually, I was getting close to where my friend had lived, and I was thinking that when I would see him, I would know what to say, and everything was going to be all fine and dandy. I did not think that I was going to be too far behind on what to say or do when the road was finally at a clearing. I was going to suggest a small hang out to get us back into proper social groupings for spring break. And if something happened that needed me to fight, then I would do it but only out of the need to make sure that my siblings were safe.

I reached the house, and then I was just thinking about what the hell I was even going to tell him. I was thinking that he would not understand my fears, but then again, I doubted anybody could understand what it is like feeling the need to protect nine younger siblings when you know for a fact that at least one of them was probably old enough to defend himself when he really needed to, but I guess that it did not matter all that much.

I was knocking on the door for a bit, and I was just telling myself to keep calm. I was thinking that it would really not matter all that much what I was going to be saying. I figured that there was no way he was going to be too angry at me. He was going to be slightly annoyed to see me here until I told him that I was over that stuff, and that I did not need to worry about looking into that anymore. I saw him looking right at me after he answered the door.

Before I was able to say something to him at this moment, he already was speaking to me, as if he was thinking about what he was going to say to me in the first place. Like he had been thinking about this the whole time. "Hey Gabe, I was thinking for a bit. I heard what happened last night. I knew that something must have been happening to create this type of conflict. I am sorry for not believing in you earlier."

After he had said that to me, I was looking right down on the ground, feeling like there was no need to say anything else. I was then thinking that it would be best to just get it over with, since no matter what the situation was, I did not want the two of us to be at odds with each other the rest of the school year before we graduated. "Yeah, don't worry about it Miguel. I can see how such a thing might be sounding a bit silly to most people. I guess that I would never have gotten it until the threat was at my face as well." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like there was not all that much to be saying to this now.

"Well, if this stuff is true, and you think that something might be going on, then you might as well tell me what is going on right now. That way we can be able to figure out how to solve the issues of this town." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he could not believe that he had been saying this to me, and then I decided that I would make it all work out.

"Well, I was telling you about some of my suspicions about places like the grinder, and I think that with all of this stuff going on, that there is a chance that something is happening here. I actually suspect that we are going to have some of our answers with that, as well as the people who have gone missing. Do you think that you can help me find this stuff out?" I asked, and then I was seeing Miguel looking like he was wanting to find some way to argue with me, but could not have been able to given the circumstance.

"Well, if you suspect that there is something going on here, then do you have the proof to go with exposing it? I mean, regardless of what you or I think, I am aware that nobody is going to believe in either one of us on anything unless if you actually can prove it. So you need to find something actually concrete." Miguel had said, and then I was sighing, knowing that what he was saying was true in its own right.

"Well, I guess that I need to try and find something that can get this together. I just don't really know where to start right now. I think that perhaps when I find something here, I can understand a bit more. What do you think can be a good starting point?" I asked, and then I was looking at the sky, feeling like this whole thing was just a bit strange. I wanted to see what to do to make it all work. But at the same time, I did not know if such a thing was even going to be possible. But I guess that it was not all that big of a deal, once we actually got looking since there had to be some clues somewhere.

...

Josiah's POV -March 26 1993 3:24 pm-: I was sitting down playing some guitar a bit, and I was wondering what was even going to be going on in the future. I was out at my house, just trying to pretend like this whole thing last night never happened. Part of me felt like it must not have mattered all that much, since I was not even there. If Henry, Levi and Lydia wanted to speak to me about this, then I would listen to them, and I would see what they were going to need me to say. Even if it was a bit hard to be focused on this whole thing and my guitar practice. But in the end, I knew that my family had to come first. No matter how much I wished that this would not be the case.

I did not expect what was going to be happening though. I mean, I should have been prepared for something like this to happen sooner or later. But I did not really think that it was going to happen the way that it would. And I did not think that he was ever going to be asking me for any help like at all. So what happened was that I was starting to finish up the song a bit, and then Seth was knocking on my door. I was looking up, and I was looking right at him, wondering what was going to happen now. "Hey, I was wondering if you could be able to help me out. I feel like I might need it." After he had said that to me, I was wondering what going to be happening now. I just told myself that when he needed this, I would just go along with this.

"What are you needing?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this question, I was seeing Seth looking like he was unsure of what to say now. He was starting to move his collar with his left index finger and stuff. "I mean, I just hope that it isn't anything too big or anything."

"Yeah, well I was wondering if you could help me on my comedy sketch on my talent show. You know, maybe like play some rocking tunes and stuff." Seth was saying, and then I was looking down at the ground for a second, and I was thinking a couple of different things. I was annoyed that he was asking me this question, but at the same time he was being polite about it and as long as he was being polite I was feeling like I should not be too rough with him. I felt like I needed to just let him have this moment.

"I guess that maybe I can provide you some tunes. I don't really have anything going on." I said, and I was telling myself that perhaps this can be seen as good practice time for my songs and stuff. I mean, I did not want to say it, but I did not really think that Seth was going to do all that good at his comedy sketch. I mean, he had the rare good joke here and there. But he was always ruining it with like three or four shitty ones after it. I felt like he was never going to have a true chance to pull it all off in all honesty.

So with that, I was standing up and put on my shoes and then I was holding the guitar a bit. "I was thinking that I could have some new type of jokes to be able to tell the school for the sketch. I was given the idea by Jack I think. He was telling me to just be able to just tell the really funny stuff that I was seeing from my family and stuff. And then when I tell the school my jokes about this house, everything could be better." After Seth said that to me, I was still unsure of if it was going to work. But at the same time, I was telling myself that I would just give it one single chance.

We were heading out of the house, and I was thinking that despite the situation, I would start to at least be cordial with Seth. Even if he was going to be giving out performances that most people were not going to find all that funny, I felt like being nice to him was the least that I could do. "Do you think that one guy is going to be trying to compete with you again? You know, I think Manny is his name?" After I asked him this, I was seeing Seth looking like he did not even want me to mention his name.

"I hope that he is not there. He always ruins my chances of winning. I mean, I almost won last time, and then he gave a really good performance last minute." Seth was saying, and then he was feeling like the idea of going against Manny was always going to ruin it for him. And that all that he would have wanted would have been for not.

"Don't worry about it. If you have fun, then it is not going to be that big of a deal. And besides, you should just try your new comedy style, and everything is going to be fine. You just need to have fun." I said, and then Seth was looking like he was not having fun getting beaten all the time. But when he was winning, he would then have fun. I was wondering how I would be able to open up his mind. Or if it just needed to be opened naturally over time.

Eventually, we were at the school auditorium, and I was seeing Seth looking like he was a little bit scared about the performance that was going to be happening now. But in a way, he was finding himself just not really knowing what he was going to even say at all. As I was looking at him, even if I did not fully believe in him, I knew that I was just needing to be polite, and I was just needing to find a way to make him feel like he actually had a chance to pull this off.

"Seth, you are going to do just fine. Don't worry about this whole thing. Just go up there, and go and have some fun. I will play in the back ground while you present, and I will do the best that I can to make the playing seem in tune to what you are presenting." After I had said that to him, he was looking like this was going to be better than nothing, and that he needed to just go with what we had. It was really strange to be perfectly honest. I was always annoyed to go to his performances, and I felt like in general they were wastes of my time. But when we were there, and he was ready to present, I always found myself rooting for him to win.

"I will try. I just hope it works." Seth starts to say, and then he is walking to the stage, as if getting ready to present his jokes and stuff. He was looking like he was getting progressively more worried about what the performance was going to be. I guess that it was just not even really going to matter all that much.

I was seeing a girl right behind me. She was looking like she was wanting to say something. As I looked at her, I was starting to realize that I had seen her around school a couple of times, but did not really ever talk to her. "Is that your younger brother performing right now?" She asked, and then I nodded and then she was looking like she was wanting to say more. "I hope that you don't mind watching him and stuff. My name is Samantha." She said, and held out her hand, and I was seeing from her outfit a bit more that she was probably some form of rock star as well. I shook her hand, and then I was ready to see if we could hang for a bit more.

"My name is Josiah. My brother asked if I could help him present his comedy and stuff. You know, like playing the music. I think that regardless of what I think of his jokes, I need to give him a bit of a chance." I said, and then I was wondering if I could say more to this. "Want to hang out after the show is done?" After I asked, she nodded as if being fine with this.

...

Seth's POV -March 26 9:51 pm-: I was standing up on the stage, and it was my turn to help give a bit of the comedy act. I was seeing Josiah right behind me, and I was seeing him looking like he was ready when I would start presenting. I took a deep breath, and told myself to just get ready and get this over with. I started to speak, and as soon as I did, Josiah was playing his performance. "So some of you guys already know that I have ten siblings. You know, just something that everybody deals with. I mean, families just get used to having ten, fifteen siblings, and oh my god, our parents could still probably use another five or six." I said, and I was finally starting to get into the grove of things. I was seeing some mild snickers from the crows. Clearly they were at least kind of liking it. They must have found the commentary at least a little bit funny, if they laughed at that.

"So anyways, I remember one time when my third oldest was playing some music. Well, he was trying to at least." I said, and I was looking right at Josiah. He seemed to be rather taken back for a second what I was doing, but he decided that he would get in my case about this later. When we were done with this, and then he could yell at me for how much this was pissing him off and stuff. "Anyways, so I was walking in, and he was yelling about how much he was sucking at playing this song. How much it was just pissing him off. He spent nearly an hour working on that song, and trying to make it work. But then when he was about to give up, he was ready to slam the guitar to a wall, and I told him to stop. When he asked why, I revealed to him that the reason his guitar performance was sucking so bad was because one of the cords had been cut already."

"Believe it or not, I was not the one who was behind that. But I was certainly not going to be letting anybody who did that be given away, because it was funny to watch him try so hard and then think he sucked and the it was revealed he was not all that bad at all. Anyways, so that is just one story of mine." I said, and I was gauging a couple of laughs. Nothing that was really getting the audience dying, but there was one of two that liked it.

"So after that, there was the one time when my oldest brother was trying to go out on a date with somebody. He was really having a lot of hopes being driven on this date. It was really funny to see how much he was caring about that. Anyways, so he was trying to put on some cologne, and he was getting annoyed with the fact that he was not getting the smell that he had liked. What he does not know is that I hid the real bottle under my bed, put in a exact replica since he does not throw away his stuff for a while, and I filled one empty one to the exact same spot as the previous was, and I filled it with vinegar oil and water mixed together with a couple of lemon drops. When he left after giving up, I placed the original one back, and you would not believe how long he was talking about a defunct bottle of cologne after that." I said, and then I was seeing a little more laughter from that, and they were clearly finding that to actually be find of funny.

As I was getting a little more smooth in the act, I was feeling like I could continue going for a bit longer. "Now I know that teachers and stuff have a really strict no swearing policy. But for the sake of this joke, I have to do it. I hope that people can accept that this is just a piece of the act." I said, and then I was hearing the rocking tunes going on. Once the story with Josiah was finished, he was looking like he was ready to continue again.

"Alright, so some of you may know that there is one sister in our group. Lydia, and she is the middle one. At the time though, she was the second youngest one. Our parents were pregnant with the twins. Now our two oldest brothers are thirteen and eleven years older than her, and even my third oldest is still eight years older. Then you have me and her fifth oldest who are two and four years older. So at this time we would be about seventeen, fifteen, twelve, eight, and six. All of us know what swears are and stuff. We heard our parents doing it, movies doing it, and I was hearing my three oldest siblings doing it. Then I had done it a couple of times, and Jack heard it then. So one day Lydia was just having a swearing fest. Saying 'Oh shit we're fucking home.' When we had come home from shopping. She would also call people 'fucking fat pigs' if they were overweight, and stuff. Then she said other words like 'bitch, cunt, asshole.' Stuff like that. So in order to not get her to continue swearing, our parents would set up a reward system where they would give her rewards every few days she went without swearing. You can tell that she would take that seriously. We got in so much trouble, and you can tell that the younger ones probably got some form of punishment for it. I wasn't allowed to do comedy for a week. Not that it mattered since our youngest one at the time, Henry, would start swearing anyways for a few weeks." I said, and then that was one that got the audience laughing a bit, thinking that this was going to get me going a bit better.

"So there was one time when Jack decided to play a prank on me for once. I was going to lunch one day, and trust me, I was happy to finally get to have my lunch since my parents finally let me have a candy I really liked, since I had gotten good reports on school that quarter. I was sitting down, and then I opened up the candy, and I saw a note that Jack took the candy instead and replaced it with sour cream and onion chips. The one that I hated the most. Then after he did that, I placed that farting balloon on his chair and at dinner that night, he sat down on it and then made that noise for like ten straight seconds, because I filled it up all the way." I said, and then I was seeing that I was getting the audience going with this. But I barely had any time left after that.

"I have time for one more it looks like. So I will try to make this one the best one that we can. So I don't know how many of you guys know this, but I have pretty good hand writing and stuff. Well good enough to where I can easily replicate the writing of others. So one day, when my second oldest brother Gabe was at school, I decided to pull a prank on him, and I sat down and wrote a letter confessing his 'love' to a girl he likes, and I placed it in his back pack. But then the next day, he gave that to his teacher and then she was confused at this and read the letter, and I actually added her name to the bottom. Most people thought it was for the teacher, but he was just trying to turn his homework and turned that in. Then everybody made fun of him for like a week for writing a 'love letter' to his crush for like a week. He kept denying it and nobody believed it. Well, he didn't. And I don't think I have much more time for any more jokes, but if you guys like that, then I can give some more next time." I said, and then dropped the mic, and then dabbed and walked out.

Once I was out of the stage, and I was looking at Josiah, he was actually finding the last two to be kind of funny, and we were walking along and Josiah said he would meet with me outside as I saw Manny. He looked at me and then nodded. "I got to admit, you finally learned how to be funny." Manny said, and then I shrugged, thinking that maybe I could do better with it, but at least I had a starting spot to go with. And at least he was being nice about his presumed defeat.

...

Jack's POV -March 26 1993 11:27 pm-: I was ready to be going to sleep, and pretending like everything was going to be all fine and stuff when there was Seth and Josiah walking inside of the house. Both of them were looking like they were having something really funny going on that they were talking about. "I hope that you get to go out with her soon. She seems nice in the short period of time that we interacted with each other." Seth said to Josiah, and I was interested in hearing more of what they were talking about, since maybe there was something that happened that was really funny for them. Also I was having a feeling that maybe Josiah was going to be able to go out with somebody soon, and that was pretty exciting for me.

"I hope that it works. I mean, I am not terrible at this. But I always have a hard time figuring out what a girl is interested in. Now that I know what she is going to be interested in, I have a feeling that I might have a hard time really getting her to want to jump right into wanting to speak to me on this. She might be thinking that I am not too smart on a lot of issues, and wishes that I knew more about what I was talking about and stuff. Like she is a better musician and stuff." Josiah was saying, and then he was feeling like something like this was going to be a bit strange to tackle. But at the same time, he was thinking that it was not all that big of a deal and stuff.

"Also it seems like you and that Manny guy are not going to totally hate each other anymore. I mean, I guess that you just needed to finally have a joke set that was going to actually be funny with him in order for him to think that you are not so bad after all. That is the main take away that I am getting out of that right now. I don't know. I guess people are sometimes hard to understand, for better or for worse." After he was saying that to Seth, they were looking right at me, and they were unsure of what they were going to say now.

"Normally, I would tell you that you would need to go to bed and stuff. But we're at spring break. So for this week, I will leave you alone about this whole thing, and besides if mom and dad really care so much, at least one of them would have probably told you to go to sleep and stuff. So I guess that it does not really matter all that much." After Josiah said that to me, I was thinking about what I was going to be saying now. I was wondering why they were even making such a big deal out of this. But at the same time, I was wanting to know more about what they were discussing, and I was going to just talk about that, and see what they might be willing to tell me and stuff.

"What did you guys do? It seems like you enjoyed yourselves, whatever you did." I said, and I was kind of jealous. I was wishing that I would be able to get along with my brothers and sister as much as they had been and stuff. I mean, I was wanting to actually make them think that I was not a bad person. But at the same time, I was feeling like such a thing was just going to be hard for them to really accept. I guess that I was just needing to do even more for them though. But I guess that it did not matter all that much what they were thinking at that moment.

"Yeah, I will admit I had my doubts about this actually being fun and stuff. But he gave some funny jokes, and the two of us are starting to get something out of it on different levels. I got to talk to a nice girl and stuff, and Seth got to start to make up with his comedy rival. So I guess that maybe there is something to take away from this as it is. How often do they do shows at the school by the way Seth?" Josiah asked, almost unable to believe that he was actually asking this in a way of being able to set up and stuff. He was feeling like such a thing was going to just be impossible to really even fathom.

"The school does a show about once a month and stuff. They really like the idea of promoting what they call the fine arts and stuff. It usually is the last friday of school every month. And on days where there is no last friday, then they just do the last day of the month." Seth said, and then he was unsure of what to say now. He was thinking about what to do now, but at the same time felt like there was just not all that much to do here. I was thinking about something to say, but before I could ask, there was Josiah who had already started to say something to me.

"What type of things are you actually interested in? I mean, you talk about liking sports and stuff, but you never much talk about which ones you like. How often are there games at the school?" After Josiah asked me this, I was so happy that somebody was showing some interest in my sport life and stuff. Beyond my parents and stuff, and that my siblings seemed to even for a moment actually want to know more about me. I just wished that I could finally say something more to them, but I decided to just take the moment and be happy that they were giving me something at all.

"I usually like basketball, track and field, soccer and football. There is a meet every Wednesday besides the first week of a sport season and stuff." I said, and then I was thinking about how my family never goes to my meets and stuff. It kind of hurts to know that no matter what the hell I do, they are never going to be all that interested in doing this. And that is why I never brought them into this. Why would I bring my older siblings to anything that they had no interest in, and my younger ones to something they are too young to understand, and my parents to something that they simply don't have the time to watch. It kind of hurts, but I know that me doing this alone was the only thing keeping my family together in a way.

"I mean, I know you guys have no interest in watching me play. You guys are already doing so many things. I mean, Seth plays comedy once every month, to varying wins. Josiah plays music every chance he gets and performs. Might as well make a band. Then Gabe always is out hanging out with friends and going to school all the time. Then Todd is just getting a job and focusing on girls. Nobody cares for sports here." I said, and then after I had said that, I was finally feeling like I was just being honest in a way that was going to make them understand.

Josiah was sitting down, and then he was placing his arm behind my back. I was seeing him looking like he was kind of feeling bad for hearing this, and wanted to help me out a bit more. Like he was feeling awful for doing something that was not even his fault. I mean, there was no reason to try and change something that he did not have any excitement for and stuff. "Hey Jack, I can't say that I can do this all the time, but maybe if you wanted me to once a month or something go to one of your meets, then I can do that. And I can play some tunes to help you and stuff." I said, and I was just feeling like this was the best that I could do here.

I was smiling and I looked at him. Seth was looking like he was shocked to see Josiah being so open about hanging out with his family. "Thanks for saying that to me. I would really appreciate it if you do that. I want you to show up to some." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him nodding, as if feeling like this was something that he was ready to do now. Like he finally felt like he was going to be able to put his talents to use. As long as he could still do school and be with his friends, there was nothing wrong with hanging out with his siblings once in a while.

...

Lydia's POV -March 27 1993 12:16 am-: I was finally feeling like I had some liberties knowing that it was spring break. I was going to tell my mom about Claire, since she was talking about wanting to hang out with me tomorrow, and I was thinking that I needed to get her slowly into the idea of us hanging out and stuff. You know, to sort of make her think that I might have been ready for such a thing and stuff. I was seeing Jack coming inside of his room, and I felt like I had to be aware of what was going on with him right now. I felt like there was something putting him in a better mood, and I was just in general interested in knowing what was making him better.

"Hey Jack, you seem to be in a good mood right now." I said, and then I was really tired, feeling like I was on the verge of sleep. But at the same time, I was feeling like I could be able to some answers from him before I called it a very long night. Besides, I was not needing to meet with Claire until the afternoon. If I really even needed to go out and worry about being exactly on time and all that stuff. But I was just feeling like I needed to see what was keeping Jack together, since anything that made Jack happy was going to possibly be for the best in the entire grand scheme of things and stuff.

"I am in a good mood. Finally people are willing to talk to me about things that I am interested in. Josiah told me he was willing to watch me play some sports at my meets." Jack was saying, and then he was placing his hands behind his head, feeling like it was all that he needed right now. He just needed one person to be there and respect what he was wishing. He just needed at least one person to actually show him that they were caring and stuff. Which was all that he was really wanting at this rate.

"I am glad you are happy. I hope that he shows up soon." I said, and then I felt like he was going to become a generally more social able guy. Like he was going to finally be more open with us all, and he was no longer going to be brushing us off and stuff. But I did not know if he was going to actually be like this for very long, or if he was going to be hating life once more. I just wished that this was going to last a while. I mean, I had nothing against him, but he was honestly kind of mean when he was angry. With the whole debate I had a few days ago with him over Ridge and siblings and stuff. Although he surely must have been more used to it now that it has been a few days since Ridge was brought home, and surely the first week was going to be the worst.

"Josiah never turns down on his promises. At least he has never done it to hurt us." Josiah said, and then he was nodding at this, as if feeling like this was one thing that he could be able to say for Josiah that was a good thing. The fact that the man was actually always willing to listen to those around him and stuff. The fact that there was not any real anger he showed with helping out his younger siblings. Sure he might not have wanted to do it. But he always seemed to generally enjoy himself when he was doing it. That was something that always kept him together in the long run.

"Josiah always does what he feels like is best. I hope that he never gives up on that." Josiah said to me, and he was thinking that two years he had on me was really enough to make him feel like he was such a authority on this over me. Not really aware of the fact that I was old enough to know a bit of the way he was treating me and everybody. He deserved to be given some credit, but the thing was that I think I knew this very well now. I did not need to be told the way that my brother treated his siblings. But at the same time, I was seeing Jack finally show some level of respect to one of us for once in our lives and stuff.

"I am glad that you know what is good for all of us." I said, and then I thought that as long as he was having some form of complimenting towards us, then there was no real reason to be angry at him. He was seeming to be aware of the people around him. Clearly he has noticed what we were all like. He just had a hard time showing what he was feeling to other people. Even if it was a bit hard for him to start to show any real caring towards others. "Do you think that you are going to make some more friends at school and stuff? I would really like it if you start to make some friends that you can show us."

"I am going to try and make some. I have a hard time getting a lot of people to like me. Everybody thinks I only care for the sports and stuff." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was kind of feeling bad for something like this. Like he was wanting to not be giving us that impression. But at the same time, it was just sort of hard for him to not be acting like this in his own way. But at the same time, he was just wanting to find something that could keep this whole thing together.

But despite what was going on and everything, I was feeling like I just needed to sort of see what I could do to make it all better for him. "I will do whatever I can to make you feel welcome. I always will love my younger sister." Jack said, and I was shocked to hear him say something like this. I did not know if he was truly meaning this, but him saying that was something I could appreciate. I was feeling like when he was telling me this, it was something that could make me feel like I was not a total asshole. I was feeling like hearing him telling me this was going to always make me feel like there is a chance to actually feel like I was not going to be totally rejected by everything now.

"Don't worry about it Jack. I already feel like you all love me. I will never feel like you guys hate me." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was wondering what else I was going to be saying to him. I was feeling like when I was going to be speaking with him a bit more, then it was going to truly matter. I did not really feel like I could sort of make it all come together. I wanted to make my siblings see that I was not worried about this. That they needed to relax, and they needed to see that I already really appreciated the way that they were acting around me and stuff. Appreciate the stuff that they have already done on every regard. It would make me feel like I was not such a bad sibling after all.

"I hope you have good dreams Lydia. You need to remember what those are like. I sometimes forget what it is like to have nice dreams." After Jack was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just feeling like this was the best that I could really do. I had no idea what we were even going to actually accomplish on anything. Jack was going right to his bed, and then he laid down and he was looking like he ready to sleep and stuff. I was laying down, and I was feeling like I was needing to just sleep as much as I fucking possibly could. To make it feel like I was finally going to be loved and stuff by all of those people who were around me and stuff.

...

Henry's POV -March 27 1993 4:30 pm-: I was sort of unsure of what to be doing now. I was getting out of bed, because I was having a vague ass feeling that something was going on. I was just sort of feeling like I was going to get into a huge amount of danger. I did not really know what the hell I was even going to do to actually make a difference. I was thinking that maybe when I was just sitting around, I would start to finally understand what the hell I could tell my siblings if they were to see what I was doing and stuff. But I guess that it would not make any real difference.

I was eventually seeing Todd looking right at me. As if he was just unsure of what I could say at this point, he just decided that he would try to make some form of small talk to me. Just to try and make myself feel better and stuff. "Hey, don't worry. I don't care all that much if you are up right now. I used to do something like this all the fucking time when I was your age." After Todd was saying that to me, I was then looking down. I was just sort of feeling like nothing I would say could have been able to actually make some difference. I just felt like I was going to have to find something to still be able to defend myself with.

"I just like the night. Being able to capture some small moments and see what is offered to me." After I had said that to Todd, I was sort of feeling like he was still going to be fine with what I was saying. But he was feeling like I was just trying too hard to make something like this work when there was virtually no point to try and defend myself when he was not having any huge problems and stuff. "Do you think that you are going to like the job?" I asked, feeling like if I could get him to be honest with me, then it was all going to be fine.

"Don't worry about it. I enjoy it fine enough. I feel like I am going to be doing that will make me feel important. That is all that I really wanted here. I just wanted people to think that I can matter." After he was saying that to me, I was feeling like there was no need to worry about what he was telling me anymore. I just felt like I was being too simple with this. I thought that I was able to make a deep conversation. But he probably did not think too much on that in all honesty.

"I am more interested in my relationship with Bebe. If I can get her to actually like me and stuff. I mean, I am scared that she is not going to be a huge fan of me in the long run. But I guess that it really does not matter what people are going to be thinking of me and all that. I just wish that I was able to finally get her to see that I care about what she thinks and stuff." After he was saying that to me, I was feeling like there was just no way I could be able to help him out. But it just seemed like nothing I was going to say would make any real difference in the long run.

"I hope that this is going to work." I said, and then I was feeling like it was going to be the best that I could give him. He was probably not going to be totally bought on this whole thing. He was just sort of feeling like he was unsure of if he was going to make it really work. "I hope that things are easy. I want to go to school. It seems exciting, and I hope that things are just as easy for me." I said, and I was seeing Todd shaking his head. As if thinking that this was the silliest thing he ever heard me say in my entire life. Like there was no way it was going to be easy, and I think that there was something he knew that I might not have.

"If you really think that things are easy and stuff, then you really do not know what school is going to be easy. There is nothing about school that is easy. I mean, sure it might be easier than getting a job. But trust me, it is still not easy and stuff." Todd told me, and I was hoping that maybe he was just going from personal experience. I was feeling like maybe he had a bad time in high school, and it was coming onto me. But at the same time, I did not want to say anything that could annoy him with that statement and stuff.

"I wish that school was easy. If school was easy, then it would have made things so much better. It would have finally made things feel like I was not too far gone and stuff. But I guess that it does not really matter what I am saying. You will see what I mean when you eventually get there yourself. And I am not going to make a huge deal out of it and stuff." After Todd was saying that to me, I was then feeling like I was just needing to see what the hell I was even going to be doing now.

"I think that things can be different with me. I think we are going to be fine now." I said, and then I was sort of unsure of what I was even going to be fine with and stuff. I was just wanting to make Todd feel like I was not a total freak. But I was aware that something like this was going to just simply not happen. He was not going to fully believe in what I was saying at that rate. "Do you have any clues to help me going to school?" I asked, and then after I had asked that, I was seeing Todd looking like he was thinking that perhaps he can give me something like this.

"Just try to not be on bad terms with the popular guys. I mean, even if you are never friends with them, just don't be enemies with them. As long as you are not enemies with them, and you respect them to a fault, then you will be fine. All you have to do is just act like everything is going to be fine with them and you. Even if you disagree with them, or dislike them beyond all else, but I think that perhaps you just need to do whatever you can to be popular in your own way. At least popular enough to be liked and stuff." Todd was saying, and then after he had said that to me, I was just feeling like there was not all that much to be saying and stuff.

"What is I am not popular?" I asked, feeling like this was another valid question, and as long as he was giving me this, and he was finally going to respect me, then I would be able to finally see what I could do in order to get him on his best advice giving and stuff. I just wish that I was going to really get some stuff that was going to actually make a real difference. But I did not really know if something like this could really be able to work together and stuff. I was scared that I was not going to ever be popular, and that people were going to hate me. I did not want to be hated, no matter what the case was going to be.

"If you are not popular, just try and brush them off and stuff. And if something like that does not work, then you will have to learn to fight. Be a man who can be proud to fight for yourself. Don't worry about stupid shit like getting in trouble. If they wrong you, you have every right in the world to fight back. You have every right in the world to just show them that you are not going to be taking their shit." He was telling me, and I was finally glad that he was saying that to me, and that I was going to make this whole thing work out and stuff. After that, he nodded, and I was rubbing my eyes. "I think we should both be going to bed. Just remember what I had said and stuff." After he said that, we all went to our room and I was feeling like it was going to finally be fine now.

...

Dylan's POV -March 27 3:12 pm-: I was seeing that Todd was coming to the house, and I was seeing him with a girl at his side and stuff. I was confused at who this person was, since I had never seen her around before and stuff. I was just feeling like I needing to see what the hell was going to be happening. I was seeing him looking like he was actually rather happy, like he was finally feeling like this was the best thing that he could have done for her and stuff. I just did not really have any clue what the hell I was going to say to them. I was feeling like I would just let them speak to me if they had chose to and stuff.

Once he was inside of the house, the girl was looking right down at me. She was unsure of what to say, so Todd decided that he would say something for me and stuff. "Hey Bebe, this is one of my youngest siblings. His name is Dylan. He stays here all the time and stuff, and one of the few that you will almost always be able to meet at this school." After he was saying that to this Bebe person, she was looking right down at me. She was looking like she was really happy and wanted to see what I would be able to say to her and stuff.

"Hey Bebe. Todd said he had a girlfriend." I said, and then Todd was looking like he was not wanting it to be sounding like that. In fact, he looked like he was over the top embarrassed by something like this. He was looking down, hoping that Bebe was not going to be saying anything to him. But at the same time, I was thinking that he was just needing to take it easy. He was placing his hand at the back of his head, and he was quickly trying to find something to say, and I was really enjoying this moment of shock and confusion that he had shown.

"I said that we just went on a few dates and stuff. I didn't exactly say that we were official and stuff." Todd was saying, and he was really hoping that she was going to be chill with this statement. Bebe was looking right at Todd, as if thinking that he had shown enough fright in order to have some fun with it, and that at this point, if she was still letting him be like this, then she was just feeling like she would have been cruel and stuff.

"Honestly, I don't really care all that much what you are telling your siblings. It is really not that big of a deal. At least he is being nice about it." She said, placing her arm on his left shoulder, and Todd was looking like he was sort of letting his fears go a little bit. "Besides, you and I have gone out on a few dates. People are probably already saying that stuff about us in the first place." After she was done saying that, I was sort of unsure of what was going to happen next. Then she was looking right at me, as if finally changing the subject to something else that was not going to make Todd feel even worse.

"Do know where any of your other siblings are right now? I would like to meet them soon." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that she had a lot of people that she was going to have to earn the respect of. I mean, all of the youngest five were here at least, and I had no idea what the older ones were even doing and stuff. I was just feeling like she was kind of cute and stuff to be honest. I did not really think that she was a bad girl. I just hoped that everybody else was able to feel the same about her and stuff. I was just feeling like as long as they liked her, none of this was going to be a problem and my parents were going to just go with whatever made us happy, even if they did not agree.

"They might be in their room. Levi and Ridge are in our parents rooms. I don't know about the older ones." I said, and then after I had finished saying that, Bebe nodded and she felt like she was able to have a good starting point to go off of here. Then she was looking right at Todd, wanting him to just go along with this, and not be annoyed that she was wanting to spend a lot more time than she was really wanting to be spending with him and stuff. Even I knew at the time how insane it had sounded and stuff.

"Let's go and see them. I think that they will like to see you. After all, I have told some of them about you once or twice." After Todd had said that to Bebe, he was starting to walk along, and I was getting off of the chair that I was in. I really wanted to see what was going to happen, and I was wanting to see if she was going to like us all. She seemed to be able to like me enough, and think that I was a decent enough kid on the couple of sentences that she had said to me and stuff. But I was still just unsure of what was going on at this rate.

Eventually, we were getting in our main room, and I was sort of just wondering what I was going to be saying to them. Bebe was looking in the main room, and she was seeing that there was Henry on his bed, and he was looking at Bebe as if he had been waiting for this very moment for several hours. I was almost curious to know if that was actually the truth or not. "This is Henry. He is always willing to do that type of weird stuff." He had said to Bebe, referring to how he was just staring at her and stuff. She was looking right at him, as if sort of unsure of if this was really bothering her all that much. But then she decided that no matter her choice, she was needing to just respect his choice.

"Have you been excited to meet me or something?" She asked Henry, and then he was nodding, as if thinking that there was no point in lying to her. He was thinking that lying to her was one of the useless things to be doing. And besides, she would probably understand that he was only five if she was thinking that this was a rather strange quirk of his and stuff.

"Yeah, I wanted to meet you after Todd told me about your guys date. He gave me advice on how to be cool in school when I start next year." Henry said, and then I was looking right at him, as if thinking that the last sentence was totally random, and really had no purpose to the discussion at hand. But then I was thinking that he was just trying his best to be sounding cool, and that this was one way he was going to be able to get her to want to say something else to him. "You're really cute." He said, and then Todd was looking at Bebe, as if wondering what he was going to be able to say to her to get her to think that his behavior was not all that strange, as if this was something that he was used to but he was hoping that this whole thing was just not going to be throwing her off too much.

"He acts like this all the time when there are new guests over. I would not be all that worried about it to be honest. He just says things that goes to his mind. At least he is not rude about it or anything." After he had said that to Bebe, he was hoping that she was going to be fine with this whole thing. He looked like she was kind of fine with this whole thing, thinking that what he was doing was not all that bad after all.

"I have seen stranger. Not much stranger from a five year old, but stranger in general. I really don't care about what your younger brothers are like. I mean, they're just kids. Being rude to them is not going to be getting anything accomplished." She said, and she was going to the kitchen sink, and she was filling up a cup of water as we were all looking at her, wondering what was going to be happening now. If she was going to be continue to treat us with kindness and stuff.

...

Drake's POV -March 27 1993 4:44 pm-: I was wanting to sleep for a bit, since I had not done much that day, and besides watching television, there was not much to be doing in the first place. I was then seeing Bebe in the room for the first time. I was confused at what I was seeing, but I was thinking that as long as I was not freaking out about it, then she would be willing to talk with me, and actually want to make me feel like a welcome addiction to her social life and stuff. So I was starting to get out of my room, and then I was looking right at her.

"Hey, are you Todd's friend?" I asked, and I was seeing Todd looking utterly glad that at least I did not say girlfriend, and that this was already making him feel like I was respecting his space more and stuff. I was thinking that perhaps he was just wanting to not deal with everybody trying to hook him up with other people. But I was thinking that perhaps I needed to go back to my room and stuff. Since there was a very small hall way with my room and the other rooms. And I did not want to basically block like half our siblings from going inside. Since there was only two small rooms besides our parents room, and then two bigger 'rooms' at the bottom floor and one for Lydia.

"Yeah, I'm Todd's friend. I have been going around the house for a bit. Trying to get a idea on what I think of it and stuff. This is a very interesting place to say at the least." She was saying, and she was looking right down at me. "What is your name?" She asked, hoping that being nice to me was going to remove any problems that the two of us were going to have, and she could get me to be more open with her and stuff.

"I'm Drake. I'm Dylan's twin." I said, and then I was smiling a huge smile. She was really nice, and I wanted her to know that I did not think badly of her at all. I was hoping that she and I were going to be able to hang out with each other more. After all, I was wanting to see if she was actually liking me and stuff. "We should go to the living room. To not get in the way so much." I said, and then I was seeing both Todd and Bebe looking like they were kind of agreeing with this statement.

I was sitting down on the old and mildly ruined looking black couch, and I was smiling right at Bebe. "How did you meet Todd?" I asked, and I was hoping that she was going to give me the extra exciting story. Henry was watching something in the television and stuff. As if he was just entrenched by the movie that we were watching. I would later learn that he was watching Halloween when Todd was telling us about this story when we were much older and stuff.

"I met him during high school. We had a couple of classes together. Did not really talk all that much during school. Todd always hung out with his other friends and stuff. But he graduated high school a couple of years ago, and then he met me about a month ago when I was out delivering pizzas to the house. He paid me the money, and he realized who I was. He talked with me for about two minutes, and about a week later, he came to the actual shop and during my break, we talked for fifteen minutes and during that time he asked me out to a date. Seeing how he was clearly not the same man I remembered him being, I decided that I would give him a chance here." Bebe said, and then she was smiling at Todd, as if thinking that she had made the right choice after all.

Then she was looking right at the wall above the television, and she was clearly interested in something that she was looking at. As if thinking that if she did not ask about this right now, she was going to never remember to, and she was going to be losing her fucking mind on the matter. "Alright, who are those two adults in that picture above the TV? I mean, I noticed that every time I walked by, and I can't take it anymore." She said, and then Todd raised his right index finger, thinking he might as well tell her and let her be aware of what my parents were doing that day since I never heard this story before.

"Those are our parents. I think that it was before we were born though. You know, when they were still young and stuff. I don't know. I think I asked my mom about it once, but that was all that the discussion had about it and stuff. Not the strangest practice that we have at this house. Every year on new years day, we all are supposed to group up and take a family picture. It is supposed to be some form of a year by year showing of how much the family has changed and stuff. But that is going to be kind of hard to do soon. Since Gabe and I are over eighteen, I have a feeling that we might not be in too many more of these. Unless if our family wants us to literally show up every single new years day just for the sake of a picture." After he had said that to Bebe, I was vaguely recalling one of those in my two year old self. Obviously now I remember all the ones from like six and beyond, but those first few I was thankfully too young to recall.

"At least you guys have traditions that you guys keep up. My family does not like to do that too much. They think that that type of stuff is too sappy and does not really accomplish anything. But I think that it would be nice to have something for us to keep for ourselves and stuff." She said, and then she was looking right at us, wondering what we were going to be saying. I think that maybe it was really not going to matter what we were going to say. We were probably just sort of going to all say stuff that none of us were going to understand.

"What do you guys do every year?" I asked, and Bebe was seeming to be thinking about that a bit more. She had no idea what to be saying and stuff. She was just feeling like there was going to be a nice discussion to be having from this. She was sort of thinking that she would be honest about the discussion, but not be rude about it to her family. She placed her feet on the glass table, and I did not know if this was allowed, but I did not want to come off as stupid, and just remained quietly.

"Just Christmas, birthdays, fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Easter. Pretty much the main holidays. Our parents do not think that it is really all that important to catch big moments and stuff. The think that the small moments are more important. Like how before every single fucking school dance, our parents would make me take a picture of how I looked and stuff. I mean, I kind of get it. But that doesn't change how annoying it was to deal with that, and how much it was always making me feel silly to deal with this stuff." Bebe was saying, and then after she had said that to us, I was wondering what was going to be happening now. I was just thinking that she was wanting to think about how much life was different now.

"Don't worry, our parents did the exact same things back in the day of school. And they do that exact same thing with my younger siblings and stuff. I don't really think that it is all that big of a deal. That is just parents trying to take pride in progress, and big events every single year of school." After Todd was saying that, he was placing his head on Bebe's shoulder, and he was thinking that if she did not want him to do that, she would have just told him to stop and stuff. But since she did not do this, he did not think that there was anything too wrong with what was going on here. But then after that, I was seeing Gabe coming in the house and he was having a talk with somebody that was behind him. I was wondering what was about to go down, since even at age three, I was seeing that he was clearly having a serious discussion. But then he stopped, and his friend did as well, when he was looking at us, as if wondering what Bebe was doing here. Since he was old enough to remember her from ninth and tenth grade of high school and a couple of interactions.

...

Levi's POV -March 27 1993 7:17 pm-: Todd was coming by our room, and as he was inside of the room with our parents bed being totally empty and stuff, I was seeing Ridge looking like he was just asleep or something like that. I was just glad that he was not screaming and stuff. It was hard to deal with that constant screaming and stuff all the fucking time. Todd was picking me up, as if thinking that this was going to be a nice way to show me to Bebe and stuff. Then when he was holding me tightly, he was thinking about what to say. "These are the two youngest ones. Levi was just barely born when we graduated, and Ridge was born just a few days ago. So it just feels like it is a never ending cycle and stuff." After Todd said that, he was wondering what Bebe was going to be saying to him and stuff. If she even really particularly needed to make much commentary.

"What does your parents do in the first place? I mean, I kind of know what your dad does. He's like a boring old politician. But I know nothing about your mother at all." She said, and then Todd was nodding at that, thinking about what he was going to be doing now. He had felt like there was not too much to worry about and stuff. But then he was thinking that Bebe was a little bit strange for actually caring about what his parents were doing on a regular basis and stuff. But he was thinking that she was just being nice about it and stuff.

"Well, the thing is that my dad is currently working in the senate. My mother does not do too much working and stuff, out of fear for losing some time to watch the kids and stuff. But she does usually work at the night time and doing those long shifts and stuff. And then when she comes home, sometimes our dad is there. She thinks that usually since at least one of the older siblings is here, that there is not all that much to worry about here and stuff." After Todd said that, he was sighing. "I don't really mind her working the night shift. At least it gives us some extra money and stuff."

Eventually, Gabe was coming into the room to talk with Todd and Bebe. Drake was just sort of casually watching, as if wondering when they were going to focus on him again. "Are you just letting Bebe see each one of us and stuff? Are you sure that this might be a super smart idea, given what happened a couple of days ago?" After he had asked that, Todd was looking at him, as if thinking that the question was just a bit silly. That he got to take it easily, considering the whole context of the situation.

"She saw the police here and everything. She does not need to worry about that stuff. We all know what is happening. What are you guys doing right now?" Todd asked, still holding me, and wondering what was going on with Miguel. He did not really want to deal with this whole investigation anymore, but at the same time, he was having a feeling that perhaps his brother was just not going to be letting this whole thing go. Even if it was better to do this.

"I was wanting to discuss with Miguel everything that I know. Trust me, he is fine with this. He knows what we are going to be getting ourselves into and stuff. I think that we just need to worry about the younger kids." After that, Gabe was starting to leave Todd alone, and he was feeling like he did not need to worry about what his older brother was saying to him. His brother was just going to try and get him to not be doing any of this at all. But in the end, he was going to be doing his own thing, and he was just hoping that his brother would respect his own wishes to be doing this.

"Just don't be getting too involved with this. I mean, let's not forget that you looking into all of this got that guy here in the first place. I mean, I know you think you mean well. But we got to be looking at this at a realistic level and stuff." After Todd had been saying that, he was unsure of what the hell he was going to be saying at this point. He was feeling like he needed to accept what his brother was doing. Gabe was thinking that there was a level of truth to this whole thing. No matter how annoyed he had been with this whole situation.

"I will just be doing this in my room. I won't be forcing any of you guys into this. That is the best that I am going to be able to promise you. I can't give you anything else at all. No matter how much you want me to stop, I just want to know what I am going to be able to do to figure this whole situation out. Please just forgive me." Gabe said, and then he was looking right at Miguel, as if unsure of what the hell he was going to even say to the guy. If there was anything he really needed to say at all.

As Gabe and Miguel were starting to walk off, Todd was thinking about what he was going to be saying now. He was unsure of what the hell he was even wanting to say in the first place. As if thinking that this statement was going to be one he would have never wanted to hear. "Hey, before you go, I just wanted to say something." He said to his oldest younger brother. Gabe was looking right at him, as if unsure of what the hell he was going to say now. But Todd was looking like he was actually having some sincere regret and worry in his face.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck, and I just wanted to say that I hope that you find what you are looking for, and that you are safe." After Todd had said that to Gabe, he was seeing Gabe glancing right at Miguel, and then everybody else in the world before looking right at Todd, just trying to find something to keep it all feeling better. As much as he could given the situation.

"I will try my best to stay safe. I can't make any promises on doing so, but I can promise that I can try." After Gabe said that, he was walking to their room, trying to not sound a bit annoyed with this. But then when he was in Gabe and Todd's room, Miguel was with him, and then Bebe tried to think of something to say. As if unsure of if her statement was going to be making any real difference. She was just hoping that it would have worked out and stuff. But at the same time, she was also hoping that possible boyfriend would not be mad at his brother for doing something that he was feeling like was the right choice.

"I hope that he is fine. I just worry that he is going to be trying to handle something that he might really handle. But I guess that he is just doing his own thin. Well, just talk to him about it when he feels the need. That is the best that you can do. Let's just stay here during the mean time." Bebe said, and then after she had said that to Todd, my brother nodded, and then he was looking at me a bit, as if worried about what I would say.

"Will Gabe hurt himself?" I asked, hoping that the answer was going to be no, but I was having a feeling more and more that the answer was going to be yes, and I was not really ready for such a thing and stuff. Todd was just shrugging, as if unable to give a honest answer, and we were all uncertain of what was going to be coming now.

...

Ridge's POV -March 27 1993 9:52 pm-: I had no idea what I was even doing at that point in time. Probably just asleep or something like that. I was told how Todd and Bebe were sitting down in the living room. Since this was their first time truly being alone their entire night, and both of them were wanting to just have a moment to be alone, and not deal with anything going on with younger siblings and stuff. Both of them were feeling like it was finally time to relax and stuff, and just pretend like the issues of the town were not really going on and stuff.

"You have a rather interesting family I have to admit. Do you like to be around them and stuff? Are they a lot of fun?" After Bebe had asked this to Todd, she was wondering if he had been thinking about this whole thing for a bit, or if he was just sort of not even caring anymore. She was just thinking that Todd was sort of over whelmed by this whole thing, and just wanted to take things easily, and not deal with people just telling him that he was like a bad sibling or anything silly like that.

"Yeah, they are a rather intriguing family to be honest. I mean, it does not really bother me what they are doing. It is just kind of hard to finally get some space when you are having so many siblings and stuff. To be kind of honest, I just wish that I was able to catch a moment or two here and there where I did not have to deal with people wanting to just spend so much time with me. Just to finally feel like I could have some moments to rest." After he was saying that to Bebe, he was wondering what she was going to be saying. If there was any real desire to say much.

"They are fine. Although I will admit that some of the younger ones could learn how to socialize better." She said, and she was clearly referring to Henry out of all of them. Todd was just rubbing my head, since I had just remembered the story that he had told me that day, which was the fact that he was holding me during the conversation. To make it look like there was somebody always paying attention to us, which would be able to make his parents more calm if they saw Bebe inside of the house and stuff.

"That was why I was giving him advice on how to be popular and school and stuff. I did not know if he was going to be ready for something like that. But I think that he will be fine in his own way. I mean, I guess that he probably knows how to not take shit from people as he learned from those crazy movies. I don't know. I think that it probably does not really matter all that much what I am thinking here. He probably just wants to act like he would be able to get on top of the world when he goes to school and stuff." I said, and I was unsure of how much that was really going to be helping. But I was just sort of feeling like this must have been helping the case be solved and stuff. I just felt like I surely must have known how to be at school better.

"Well, if he does not get popular as a result or anything, then you can say that at least you tried, and that if it failed, then there is nothing that you can do and stuff." After she was telling Todd that, she was sort of looking like that was all that she was wanting to about Henry over. As if thinking that she had made her point, and that doing this was just going to not really get anything accomplished, and she did not want to risk him hearing it by coming up and going to the kitchen sink. Since the kitchen was right where the down stairs area was. Which was sort of making it a easy target for people to hear everything.

"How do you think that this family is going to be able to handle us moving out? I mean, we are leaving soon, and there is not much that we are going to be able to do about it. I am not going to stay behind, and just wait for everybody I know who is younger than me to get out of here. I just think that the people I know will just want us back right away." After Bebe asked Todd this, Todd was unsure of what to be saying then.

"I think that they are just going to have to deal with it. I mean, I only work four hours so far, so if I save a fourth of that every shift to my funds of getting out of here, then I will be able to only save like twenty to twenty five dollars every week for moving out. So sadly, I will probably be stuck here for a very long time. I don't even mind being here, but I am sort of stuck where I am for another year or two at least. And that is if I am good with my spending every month and stuff." Todd was saying, and he had been thinking about how he would distribute his earnings. He thought about giving a fourth of it to his parents every week to help them with the house funds, then a fourth of it every week to moving out funds, and then probably keep the remaining half for just pocket change that he would be able to use for his friends and stuff.

"I should not be worried about what my family is going to think of me moving out. I mean, they are probably going to be the most supportive people that I know on the issue. I think that I just need to worry about the people around me. Worry about the people who think that they know better than me, and act like I should not be worried about that at all." Bebe said, worried about how people were going to treat her moving out and stuff. As if thinking that she was going to be sort of alone on this whole regard after all, the more she was thinking about it.

"I am sort of the same way. I think that people are going to be happy with us moving on and making our own things in life. I think that the transition of leaving will be kind of hard to handle. But they will probably be over it soon enough. I really doubt that they are going to be hating the idea that much. I think that when I grow older, even my siblings will really learn to respect the choices that I have been making, and respect the fact that I am finally out doing something on my life." Todd said, and he was really thinking that there was nothing to worry about at the end of the day.

As this was happening, Lydia was walking inside of the house and she was holding a back pack and stuff. She was looking like she genuinely had the time of her life. Todd was so happy to see her looking like she was actually enjoying herself for once. And not dealing with people constantly getting in her business about several random things. "Did you have a good time with Claire?" Todd asked, and he was just hoping that his perception was correct, and that he did not assume what was going on with her.

"Yeah, I had so much fun. They were really nice to me, and I got to have people really be respectful of my interests." After Lydia had said that, Todd was smiling, as if glad to hear that there were some people who were able to be nice to her, and that nobody was just being mean. He was just worried that there was going to be some people who were going to be mean to her, and would make her feel like she was no longer welcome and stuff.

"I am glad to hear that at least you had fun tonight. I was really worried that something was going to be happening to you and stuff. I am glad to know that things are fine." After Todd was saying that to her, Lydia was smiling and hugged Todd. Then she was giving a smile at Bebe, trying to find something to say. "I will tell you all about her tomorrow." Todd said, and then Lydia looked at him as if holding him to that promise as she went down to her room downstairs.

...

Todd's POV -March 28 1993 3:00 am-: I was driving Bebe back to her house, and the entire time that I was driving her back, she was clearly looking like she was wanting to speak to me. "Todd, you should really make sure that nothing is going on with your family. I have a feeling that Gabe might be getting himself into more than he can handle." She said, and then I was shrugging, as if thinking that it would not matter all that much what I was thinking, since she had already made her opinion on the matter clear.

"I would not be worried about him. I would be worried about his friends, and my younger siblings for wanting to follow his path. I am more worried about the, than I am worried about Gabe." I said, as if letting the fear of something happening to my siblings sort of come along to my mind. I was just feeling like that was going to be the worst thing that would be coming right out of this. More than anything else in the world.

"Doesn't matter. I am just thinking too deep into this matter. I was just wanting to tell you something." She said, and then after she had said that to me, I was looking right at her for a second, as if unsure of what I was going to be able to tell her. I was thinking that I would let her speak, and then she would be able to sort of show me what was bothering her. Since I wanted her to feel like I would be able to help her no matter what.

"I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed hanging out with you. Your brothers are rather interesting. I just think that maybe we should try it again some day. But I also would like to see what it is like where you work." She said, and then I was nodding, as if thinking that I would be cool with her suggesting something like this. I was thinking that perhaps her going on to see where I worked at was going to help us come even closer together than we were so far.

"It is so much fun being with you. It makes me feel like I can be able to be myself. That I do not need to worry about what everybody is going to be telling me. I can just feel like I am able to show people the good and the bad of what is happening." I said, and I was thinking that even with some of my friends I was a bit more embarrassed to be opening up to some things I felt. So with her, saying that was really a step up, and it was a sign of how much I felt different when we were seeing each other.

I eventually reached her house, and I was looking right at her, as if just thinking about what I would even fucking say to her before we headed out and stuff. "I hope that we can be able to hang out soon again. Maybe go on another date. I would really enjoy doing something like that soon." I said, and I was seeing Bebe looking more and more like she was cool with me suggesting something like this. Like she had hoped that I would, but did not want to force something to me and stuff.

"Maybe some time, I can show you my family. Only if you are interested in something like that. Don't know if you would really care for something like that. My family is rather boring compared to yours, to be totally honest." After she had said that to me, I was feeling like she was too worried about something like this. Like she was just thinking about how to make me feel better, when in all honesty, there was no real need for her to be acting like this at all.

"I would at least be willing to give them a chance. I would be kind of a shitty guy if I did not do that." After I had said that to her, I was wondering what I was going to hear her say. She was thinking that there was no point in saying any more. Since we had already virtually make the point that we wanted. She had decided to make the offer, and I accepted it, and I think that this was all that really mattered to it. "I want to really know what you are like and stuff. I think my parents would also like you. My siblings liking you will really make them feel better about you."

With that, Bebe was coming out of her car, and she was looking right at me for a moment. "I hope that you and I can go on our next date soon. I would be rather excited for when that happens soon." She said, and I was glad that she was saying that to me. She was looking like she was almost getting more and more used to the idea of me being her boyfriend and stuff. Now it was just a matter of getting others more used to what was going on here. But I did not know what was to be happening.

"Just hit me up when you are ready to do something like that. I would be open most days after six in the afternoon. We might not be able to do super long, but maybe we can be able to do an hour or two." I said, and then with that, Bebe was going right into her house, and I was driving back to my house, and I was wondering what I was going to be saying to my siblings the next time they were going to be seeing me and stuff.

I drove back to my house, thinking about how my luck had finally turned around. How my luck was not totally messed up and stuff. I mean, I was not wanting to jinx it for myself and stuff, but I was totally convinced that something good was happening with my life and shit. I did not think there was anything wrong at all. I was feeling like maybe god was actually thinking that I needed a break for once. If god was real or not, which I had very neutral opinions on just due to being unsure of if the towns problems were real or not. I mean, how can I be certain anything was real or not real when this shit was going on regularly.

I parked the car, and then after I was getting out of the car, I was just telling myself that no matter what was going to be happening around me, I was going to have to be fighting and stuff. I was going to the door, and I was opening the door, feeling like I was going to be done for the night, and that there was no way in hell anything was going to be happening now. I mean, there was no way that life was going to be this much of a asshole to me and stuff.

I was seeing that Gabe was talking with his Miguel friend, and I was shocked that they had hung out this late. I did not think that Gave even had it within him to be staying up this late on anything beyond a basis related to powering through school at night and stuff. But I did not think that it was going to be all that big of a deal. "Hey Todd, I was going to be heading out soon. I know that you are not going to be super excited about what I am doing right now..." Gabe said, and then I was looking down, wondering what the hell I was going to be hearing him say now. But at the same time, I was seeing that his friend was not saying no, so maybe this whole thing was not so god awful after all.

"Just make sure that you are fine, and that you return home tonight and stuff. If you do not return home tonight, then I will have no choice but to figure out what is going on with you, and I will have no choice to figure out what the investigations are, and I doubt that we really want to force that onto me and stuff." After I had said that to Gabe, I was seeing him slowly nod, knowing what I was meaning by this whole statement.

"Everything is going to be fine. I will do my best to make sure that everything is going to be fine." Gabe was telling me, and then after I was seeing him say this to me, he was looking like he was totally fine with this whole thing. But at the same time, we were just sort of thinking about what the issues would be soon. I went to my room, and Gabe and Miguel left the house.

...

Gabe's POV -March 28 1993 3:40 am-: I was walking down the street with Miguel, and then I was seeing him just looking like he was wanting to ask me a genuine question at this statement. As if he was truly scared of what was going to be happening next and stuff. "Hey Gabe, do you think that something could be happening to your family or to Bebe? Since a large amount of the people who are going missing have been girls and stuff." He was saying, and he did not think that what he was saying was all that awful of a statement. He was in fact feeling like what he had said was actually a perfectly valid statement.

"I don't know. I mean, there is a chance that something could be happening to her. I mean, we just need to be realistic on this whole thing. Which is what I really hate about this whole thing. I just want to know what I can do to make something different. But I don't know how to do it. I think I need a damn break." I said, and then Miguel was looking right at me, as if thinking that this statement is something he could be able to help me out with then.

"I think that maybe during spring break, you and I should be going out on a trip or something. Perhaps you know to go and hang out with some of our classmates. I think that this is going to be a good way to help us calm down from everything that is going on. I doubt that it is going to make all that much of a difference. But I think that it could be a good starting spot." After he was saying that to me, I was looking down, as if feeling like something like this was actually a good point.

After he was saying that to me, we were getting closer to his house, and then I nodded. "Yeah, I think that we should do that. Just to finally take our mind off of this. I don't know how well it will work. But I think that I need to try at least. Thanks for the offer, and thanks for at least giving me a proper chance to do something like this." I said, and then after I had said that to Miguel, he placed his hand on my shoulder, as if thinking that this was a good agreement we had made, and he went inside of his house, as if to finally leave me alone and stuff. I was thinking that this was finally going to be something that can save my family and maybe even Bebe if it was as bad as Miguel had feared.

I was walking home, and I was sort of unsure of what I was even going to be doing at this point in time. I just felt like I was going to be left and totally loss on everything that had been happening around me. I was feeling like virtually nothing ahead of me was going to make a real difference. I was feeling like if I was wanting to get people to see that what I was fearing was true, then I would have to be sort of fighting at my own pace.

As I was walking home, I was seeing a guy standing under a light. He was holding a brief case in his hand, and he was smoking a cigarette. I had a terrible feeling that something was going to be happening soon. I just was scared out of my fucking mind that this was going to be related to the business that I was slowly starting to expose and stuff. But despite everything that I had been feeling here, I was just sort of thinking that I was going to have a long road ahead of me. I was hiding behind a light, thinking that I should listen to him a bit, and see what I can be able to get to hear what they were talking about and stuff.

Eventually there was a car that was driving by, and as the car had parked, there was a door that was opening. He was looking right at the guy who was finishing his cigarette and stomped it right down on the ground to start to give himself a mildly presentable look and stuff. "The person has been taken. We are going to be heading down there soon, and working out on our first job. You are supposed to meet there soon enough for your first contract with her." The guy was saying, and then the guy with the cigarette looked at the one who had just got out of the car.

"How are we going to recover from the loss that we have faced from yesterday?" After the man with the cigarette asked the other guy this, he was sounding like he was utterly scared of what he was indicating here. He was hoping that he was not going to be the next guy who was going to be getting himself killed and stuff. But at the same time, I just had no idea what I was even going to be doing now.

"That was a bad one off. I think that you do not need to worry about anything like that. There is nothing that is dragging the situation down. That man was just worried about that one teenager getting to know what is ahead of us. Besides, those first two siblings are old enough to where soon enough he is going to be given a offer to work at the job. He might not make the connection or anything. None of the older ones are smart enough to get what is happening.

"I hope that what you are saying is true. I mean, there is nothing that we can do if we are going to be having more and more people coming right at us, and bothering us about some strange feeling that they are having and stuff." After the guy was saying that to the other man, he was wondering what the other man was even going to be saying next. Or if he had already made his point. He was looking at the other man, just trying to hope that the man from the car knew what was happening.

"Nothing will be happening. If something were to get out of hand again, he is alone, and we can be able to just take care of him ourselves. We do not need to worry about anything. And if anybody is wondering what would happen to him, then we can just say that he got hit by a car. Trust me, nothing is going to be happening and stuff." After the man from the car was saying that to the man with the cigarette, he was unsure of what else there was to be saying to this man. The guy was just clearly freaked out, and there was nothing that was going to change that fact, no matter how annoying it was going to be to deal with.

"Stop worrying so much about it. Get yourself together, and just do the job that we have given you. Remember that we are supposed to be doing this once every single week, and that when you finish your contract, you can just always go right home, and pretend like everything is going to be fine. This is really not all that big of a concern." After the man from the car was saying this, he would say one more little thing to this guy. "You are new to this. I get it. But there is nothing you need to worry about. We got this taken care of, and you just need to worry about doing your work. After all, this town needs you to be at perfect form." After he was saying that, he was hoping that this man would listen to him a bit more, and not make much opposition to this. The man with the cigarette was looking down, hating this, and then finally sighed in annoyance.

"Fine. You win. I see that there is no changing your mind on this." After the man was saying that to the guy having this discussion with him, the guy got in the back seat of the car, to be doing his job. A job he clearly did not want to be doing. After he was being driven off, I was sighing, and I was running back home, realizing what I was setting myself into, and when I was running inside of my room, I saw Josiah stir for a second at my actions, wondering what was going on. I flopped on the bed, feeling like this was going to be getting myself killed and stuff.

...

Josiah's POV -March 28 1993 2:40 pm-: I was about ready to be going to hang out with Samantha when I was seeing Gabe walking by for a moment. When I was seeing Gabe walking by to get something from the fridge, I was feeling like I just needed to finally fucking see what was happening and stuff. I mean, he literally looked like he was seeing something that was going to be getting him killed and stuff. I guess that in a way, he might have been seeing that. "Hey Gabe, seriously, what the fuck was going on last night?"

Gabe looked at me, as if feeling like he was finally ready to talk to somebody about this. As if feeling like maybe if he would talk to us about it, then he would be able to find a way to pretend like all of this was totally fine and stuff. "Well, the fucking thing is that I was trying to do some more searching and hunting about this town. But then I heard a conversation between two guys in black jackets. Out under a street light. I was scared and listened from behind. When I listened, I was hearing them talk about some business operation going on. They must have been aware of me, and they were talking about what they would have to do to take me out if I kept looking into this a bit longer." After Gabe was saying this, he was scared of what I was going to be saying now.

"I think that this makes me too scared to continue fighting. I don't think that I can continue this. I thought that I was ready for something like this. It turns out that it could not have been any further from the truth. I thought that I was ready to fight. If I was ready to fight, then I would be acting like a fucking man right now. I would not be acting like a child who got caught doing something he should not have done." Gabe said, and then he was finally sighing, and felt like he could let it all go.

"As long as you finally feel like you are able to understand what you can and can't handle, I think that something like this is possibly a good thing. You finally are aware of what you can and can't handle. I think that something like this is very important to be doing." I said, and then I was seeing Gabe looking like he was finally starting to accept defeat.

"That being said, despite my feelings, if I feel like something is going to be putting me in danger, or anybody else, and I feel like I can be able to find the truth, then I will look. But for now, I will not be forcing this anymore and stuff." After Gabe said that, I grabbed a coke can from the fridge. I did not much like Coke, but my parents always got what was for sale, which was usually Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi and sometimes Mountain Dew. "Have some fun with your friends today. Don't let anything get to you too badly." After he had said that, I was walking off, and I was feeling like I was ready to finally meet Samantha.

As I was walking along, and I was thinking that Samantha was going to be able to finally make me feel like there was something to look forward to when I was in school, that was not really hanging out with friends. I wanted to finally have a chance to add some excitement and I hoped that I liked her enough and she liked me enough to go on a date with her.

I was getting closer to her house, which she gave her address to me after the school performance, and I was hoping that when I was going to be there, she would finally be willing to speak to me for a long period of time, or that she was even going to be here in the first place.

I was also giving myself some good pick up lines that I would be able to give her. To make her feel like I was some form of a player or something silly like that. I did not really know how well it was going to be working. But I was feeling like something like this was going to be the day my life would change. I truly did not think that any of this was going to be a issue. I just wanted to get her to like me, no matter what it was going to take to get there, and no matter what I was going to have to sacrifice in order to be getting there and stuff.

I was also getting close to my house, and I just wished that everything was going to be all fine and stuff. But I truly had no fucking plans to be making it all come together. I was feeling like when she and I would meet up, I could tell her about my plans during spring break, and perhaps over time, the two of us were going to eventually make some form of a band and stuff. I felt like the band was going to truly make a difference in my social life, and make people start to think that I was actually a man with some form of talent.

I was reaching her house, and then I was knocking right on her door, and I was feeling like everything was going to be fine. I just did not know what I was going to even say to her. If it was even going to be worth it. She answered the door, and after a second of confusion, she smiled, as if glad to see that I was totally fine and stuff. That I took her up on her offer and didn't ditch her.

"Hey, I was wanting to see if you were wanting to hang out for a couple of hours? I remembered what we were talking about a few days ago at that school show." I said, and then I was feeling like a total failure the moment that I started to talk. I wanted to make her like me, but I had no idea if she was going to have any patience with this whole thing.

She seemed to not be too bothered by the attempt to pick her up that I had been making. Almost like she was feeling like this was kind of cute. But she would not want to openly say something like this, in the fear that she was going to be getting me annoyed, or ruin what was already happening so far.

"Yeah, sure, I was wondering when you were going to be coming by anyways. I thought that you were never going to be coming along actually." She had said and then after she had said this to me, I was seeing her open up the door and she was giving me a chance to finally walk inside of the house. I was feeling like almost nothing else was going to make me ready for something like this, but I did not really care all that much what people were going to say to me.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to start to make some cool songs or something? I think that something like this could be pretty fun actually." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was wondering if she was going to actually like this idea or not. I was really hoping that she was going to accept my offer, and we can make something work out here.

"Yeah that might be pretty fun actually. Do you have any songs that you were thinking about performing?" After she had asked me this, I was then thinking about what she was asking me. I was sort of unsure of what I was going to say. I then nodded, feeling like this was going to be fine enough.

"I have not been thinking about it too much. I was wanting to make a song about maybe school or family. Something generic. But if you are not all that interested in something like that, then we can finally work something else out." I said, finally feeling like she was going to like my offer as long as I was going to be patient with her, and respect her perspective here and stuff.

"I was thinking about maybe a song about the struggles of life here. You know, see if we can really capture what the feel is like to those who are listening to us. I think that if we just tell the truth, then people could get it." Samantha was saying, and we were sitting down, ready to start to write down some possible lyrics, and I was feeling like this was all that I needed to finally get the ball rolling with motivation.

...

Seth's POV -March 28 1993 6:13 pm-: I was sitting down on my chair in my room, having two different thought sets going on in my mind. One was the fact that I really wanted to finally get some real good jokes down, with the style that I had recently picked up thanks to Jack, and the other thing was that I was wondering what I was thinking about what I was going to do for the break, and I really wanted to find some more material to be going off of here, but before I could think on it too much longer, I heard a knock on the door. I did not know what was going to be there, so I was thinking that I would just go on and answer, and see who was here. I thought that it was probably going to be Bebe or some of Josiah's friends or something.

I decided that I would just go on and answer, and get this whole thing over with, when I eventually reached the door and opened. Who I saw there looking at me confused me for a bit, but it also made me a bit more interested in what the summer was going to be like in the future. It was Manny, the guy who had come along and had been my comedy rival from the start. I did not know what I would say to him, and if he was having a joke planned this whole time. But I told myself that I just needed to be respectful to him, and see what I could even get out of this.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were willing to go on and hang for a bit. I mean, I know that you are probably think that I have something going on here. But I don't. I just kind of want to see what we can do here." After Manny had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was actually kind of glad to be saying this to me. He was thinking that as long as he was going to be polite, he could be able to get me to open up.

I was thinking about it a bit, and then I sighed in annoyance. "I guess that this might not be such a bad idea after all." I said, and then I was unable to believe that I had been telling him this. I thought that the worst that come out of this was that he was just going to be kind or rude, and I could just kick him out if he really bothered me all that much.

"Cool, I was just wanting to see how things were. If you really cared all that much about the comedy shows or anything. I mean, they seem to be your passion." Manny said, and then he was looking like he was kind of feeling bad when he had said that to me. I mean, I did not get why he was thinking that such a thing was such a bad statement. But maybe he just could not be able to get it. Maybe he just did not understand how much I cared about this.

"I mean, I really enjoy it, and I don't really know how much people around me feel the same. I want to have people to see how much I care about this. How much it actually matters to me that this works out." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Manny looking like he was unsure of how to feel about such a thing. He was just thinking that perhaps he was just going to never really get it, but that he was thinking he needed to at least try for the sake of knowing me to understand.

"I guess that I just don't really get it. I mean, I enjoy it fine enough. But I don't really really feel like it is the most important thing in my life. I don't really think that I am going to be getting too much out of it in the long run. I don't know though. I could be wrong. But I guess that maybe I would really have to see where you are coming from." After he was saying this to me, I was seeing him looking as if he was just really wanting to get it. Or try his best to get it.

"I just feel like it is like the main thing that I am good at. Being able to show people my creative ideas of comedy and stuff. I feel like when people hear my jokes, even if they don't get them, that it is at least some way to show what I care about." I said, and then after I had told him that, he was looking like he was just not sure what to say to that statement.

"I guess that when there is something that somebody really cares about, they will just be going through any lengths to really make people finally get it." After he had told me that, I was seeing him looking like he was finally willing to ask me the question that was at his mind the entire time. The one question he was really coming in to ask. "Want to go to my house and hang out for a bit there?" After Manny asked me this, I was thinking about the offer, and a part of me was feeling like there was no reason not to be saying yes to this.

"Yeah, I think that I am going to give it a try. I just hope that this is going to be as exciting as I wish it to be." I said, and then after I had said that to Manny, I saw him looking like he was unsure of what to say here. But with that, I did not care too much. We were heading out of the house, and I was going to be seeing if he was going to show me what was interesting him so much.

As I was out of the house, and I was wondering what I was going to be saying to Manny, I felt like I would start with the basics first. "Thanks for giving me a chance to hang out with you. I did not think that you were ever wanting to let me give it a go." I said, and then I was seeing Manny looking like he was cool with me finally having a chance to see how this was going to go down.

"I mean, I just felt like when you were out doing all that stuff, even if I did not really understand, I felt like I needed to give you a chance. I guess that I was just wanting to see what was going to be coming out of this. I just thought that you could tell me what some of your jokes were like as well." After he had said that to me, I was thinking that this might be worth giving it a go at least. Just to really try and have a real friend that can keep me going for the spring break.

We were getting close to his house, and I was thinking if something to say. "Hey Manny, do you have any siblings at your place?" I asked, and then I was just thinking that this was the best that I could come up with, considering the fact that I barely knew him, and that was a good talking point that I could make, from the history that I had with my family and stuff. "I think that with them around, a lot of funny stories can just be made here."

"I don't really have any siblings at my house. I guess that maybe that is something that makes us totally different. I just think that maybe with being alone, that has a huge affect on how I discuss things with people. I think that I just don't really have any real stuff to talk about. At least nothing that would be of interest to anybody else." Manny had said to me, and then after he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like what he had said was not all that strange of a comment. Like he was thinking about what was actually a real interest he had, and how much it would be able to possibly connect with me. If such a thing could even be done. "Over all, I think you will still like it at my place anyways. So I am not going to be too worried about anything. I just wish that I had more people who would come over and hang out with me here."

...

-Jack's POV -March 28 1993 7:12 pm-: I was thinking that I would go out at the soccer field, and when I was going to be there, I would finally just have some time to practice some throws and stuff. But I was still probably too young to be going out. Considering the fact that I was nine, and my parents told us that we had to be at least ten before we can go out and do whatever. It was a bit annoying to be totally honest. But at the same time, they did say that we only had to be five in order to go out and hang out with our friends, as long as they were told what we were going to be doing.

I did not really know who would be free right now. I mean, for some reason, that I can't describe, I was just feeling like I had a bad time sticking with conversations and people that I barely knew outside of school. I mean, I got along well enough with people at the school and was popular enough when I was actually taking classes there and stuff. But to be honest, I did not really know if I was going to ever be really popular to people when we were out of school.

So I was thinking that I was going to have to do something else in order to get people to actually be fine with me going out and doing whatever. I just had no idea what I would do in order to pull it off, but I felt like I was just needing to at least try to make something work. So as I was feeling that way, I was thinking that I would finally find something to do that I never fucking believed that I would attempt. I was going to try and talk to Lydia, and see if she would bail me out.

I mean, Gabe was doing whatever the fucking hell he was doing, and Todd was going to be going on his first day of work tomorrow, and I bet that he was not wanting to deal with me being annoying to him. Josiah was out doing something else, and Seth had randomly left to hang out with that one goth guy like an hour or so ago.

So as I was feeling like my older siblings were not able to find something for me, I was walking to see Henry and most of the younger siblings looking like they were just doing their own thing. I could not fathom how people these were able to find something to do when they were stuck at this house, and I was just wanting to see what they were all going to be like.

I was just seeing that when they had looked like this, that I was going to have to find a way to really make them see how boring it was going to be to stay here for the time being. Maybe when I would do something like this, they might be able to finally step up and actually try to help me out and stuff. I was feeling like when I was wanting to play some good sports, I could be able to bring some of them along. Such as Lydia or Henry. I think the others would just simply be too young.

Before I thought about it too much longer, Lydia was looking at me, and I looked at her. I was just thinking of something that I could say that would make them feel like I was actually caring for what she had said. "Hey, I was wondering if you had any plans for the day and stuff. You know, to help you with spring break." Lydia said, and I was glad that we were at least doing this near the edge of the living room, so that way I did not have to deal with our younger siblings calling us out for being loud and stuff.

"Did you enjoy going out yesterday? I mean, I just wish that I had a friend who I could be able to go out with, and just spend an afternoon playing with. You know, that would just be really nice. But I don't know how many people around like me and stuff. As much as I would hate to admit that." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing Lydia looking like she was a bit happy that somebody was bringing it up.

"I mean, it was a lot of fun. But I don't really know if I will be able to properly describe how it really was. I was just able to go out and actually feel like I was being accepted for being a nice and fun girl. I just wished that I could be able to do it more often. With more people. But I guess that something like this might be pretty hard to wish for." After she was saying that to me, I was then looking down, trying to find something to say that would get her to feel a bit better here. But I did not think such a thing was possible to really ask for.

"I wonder when I will be able to get people to actually want to hang out with me so much. I mean, I just want to play some games with people. Show them how exciting that playing some soccer or basketball could be. But I doubt that people really care what I like. Since the older siblings are always out doing their own thing." I said, and then I was feeling sad just thinking about this, and I was wishing that somebody would be able to hear me and actually take what I had said to heart, and not just brushing it off.

After Lydia had heard me say that, she was looking at me, and she was looking like she was thinking about this for a bit. Thinking that perhaps she needed to find something to do to help me out. She took a deep breath and started to place her hands on my shoulders. Like she had felt like she had finally had something to help me out a bit.

"Alright, I was not going to be suggesting this, because I did not want to ruin it so early, but I think that it might be worth it. But I think that I am going to show you Claire. I think that when you meet her, you will see how fun she really is. And when you see why I like her so much, then I think that we could be able to start to become friends more." After Lydia was saying that to me, I was smiling, and I was just thinking that this was going to finally make my life feel so much fucking better. I was finally feeling like this was the one thing that was needed to sort of keep me feeling better.

"Hey, thanks for doing that. I mean, I am really glad that you are willing to give me a chance here. I think that this is all that I needed." I said, and then after I had said that to Lydia, I was looking at my sister, and she was just feeling like if she was going to be showing Claire her siblings, she might as well just see what she would do with me around now. "I just wish that the others would be willing to give me such a small kindness."

Lydia was looking like this was going to work out well enough. "I think we should head out, before we get anything angry at us, and we get people thinking that we are just staying here tonight." After she had said that to me, I was nodding, and I was feeling like we were finally making this work out. I just wished that I was going to be able to finally make some friends, even if they were girls. But I felt like anything was going to be better than what I have right now.

So with that, Lydia and I went down stairs, where our rooms where, and everything was finally going to be working out for us. "Trust me Jack, you are going to really enjoy her. She really wants to meet you guys, and I think that she is going to be happy to know that you guys are not mean to us." After Lydia told me this, I was feeling like she was setting up a high bar, and one that I wanted to meet. But still one that I was not exactly sure if I could be able to actually meet. But I felt like I had to try for my sake and her sake as well.

...

Lydia's POV -March 28 9:53 pm-: Eventually, I knocked on the door to Claire's house, and I was seeing Jack right behind me. He was looking like this might have been a terrible idea. But at the same time, he was thinking that being stuck at our house the entire spring break was going to be a even worse idea, so for that one reason alone, he was going to be taking it, and he was going to not be speaking out against the whole thing. When the door was answered, I was seeing Claire looking right at me, and she was looking like she was finally really glad to be seeing me here. Like she was wondering when or if I was going to be coming along at all. "I did not think you were going to be coming back so soon." She admitted, but at the same time, she did not think that this was such a bad thing after all. She was actually looking a bit happy to be seeing us here in fact. "Is that one of your brothers?" She asked me, and I nodded, as if thinking that this was exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Yeah, my youngest older brother. He's Jack. He was saying that he was kind of feeling left out a lot, and I decided that I would show him to you and stuff." After I had explained that to her, Claire looked like she was not going to be too annoyed with this. In fact, she was almost looking glad. Like this was the biggest thing that she was wanting. Which was to finally see what Lydia's brothers were like and everything.

With that, she had let the two of us inside, and she was looking right at me. "Are you nice to Lydia?" Claire asked Jack, and then he was looking down, and I could clearly tell from the look on his face, that he was slightly uncomfortable with this question, but I did not want to break in and answer for him, because I felt like the best thing he could do was just to try and be honest with her, no matter what the result was going to be.

"Well, I will say that I try to be nice. I mean, I am not sure if it will always work. But I don't ever want to come off as a total jerk. I feel like when I see her approaching me, I feel different. I feel strange because somebody is being nice to me." After Jack said that to Claire, I was seeing her looking like she was sort of trying to decide what she was going to be saying to this. If she had liked that comment, or if she wanted a different one after all.

"At least you try I suppose. I mean, it is not my business. But I just don't want anything hurting her." After Claire had said that to Jack, he was looking at her, and he was clearly looking like this was pushing his comfort zone, but he was not too sure if this was a good thing or not. But at the same time, he was wanting to change the subjects a bit. And even Claire was looking like she was fine with this too.

"Hey anyways, do you guys like to do anything together? You know, as like sibling bonds and stuff?" After she had asked us this question, I was looking right at Claire, and I did not know what to be saying. Considering the fact that my brother and I were very different on most regards. I figured that this response would indeed suffice.

"I think that we are probably too different to really do stuff like that. I think that he would probably not mind to do something like that though." After I said that to Claire, saw Jack looking like he was fine with that response, partly because it was true, and partly because he did not want to get Claire on his case and stuff. "Well, I would be kind of interested in his sports, but he always seems to be telling me that I am not really ready for it."

"Well, I don't want anything to hurt you. I would never really get over it if something were to happen to you." Jack said in a mildly protective tone, and I was thinking that this was usually the only time he ever shown something like this, and that I needed to take it in every single time that I heard him showing me something like this. "I mean, when I see her get hurt every time I hit her with the ball accidentally, then I just feel so bad for it." Jack finished, and then Claire looked like she was wanting to commentate, so I would let her do just that.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, I don't have any siblings, so I have no idea what it is like. And trust me, even if I did know what it would be like with one or two siblings, I would not really try to say what it was like when you have ten brothers." Claire said, and I could not tell if she was saying this with a level of jealousy, or if she was saying that this was kind of something she would respect, but not want anything to do with.

"I think that you would not find it to be all that bad if you had the same living situation as me. I thought that everybody had big families before we went to school." After I said that, I found my comment to be kind of funny, thinking about how wrong that comment was. And how wrong I was for even thinking of something like this. But at the same time, I was just really unsure of what to say there.

"I guess that I will take your word for it. It's just that everybody talks about how over whelming something like that sound. And I would probably agree." After she had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was still impressed with something like this. "I would not lie if I said that I would be kind of excited to maybe have one sibling. You know, to feel like there is somebody who I could connect with." After she had said that, I saw her wanting to say more on the matter, and I was thinking that I should just find something to add, but I could not.

"Claire, that makes you unique. You do not need a large family to be special. You can have friends, and you can have ten people who care about what happens to you." Jack said, and then I was seeing him looking at the window, feeling a bit strange for saying this, and he was feeling like what he had said was just going to be making him feel like the odd one out. Taking something like a soft stand when it came to a girl he never met before today.

"Thanks I guess. It means a lot to me to know that there are nice guys out there. Anyways, is there anything that you two want to be doing now that you are here? You know, before our parents probably get annoyed with what we are doing?" After she had asked that, I felt like this was a valid point, and that maybe we should be trying to find something that can keep us focused, and probably not get us in trouble for sneaking out like this.

"Well, I think that Jack would like to know what your place is like." After I had said that, Claire looked right at Jack, and she was thinking that something like this could be a good starting point, and if this was true, she was going to be taking her time with this, and she was going to make sure that my brother had every chance in the world to truly see what her house was actually like, and not what I was guessing it would be like.

So with that, Claire started to take Jack and I throughout the house, and we were eventually going up stairs, which was where her room was at, and we figured that we would take the time to really see what was going on here. I was thinking that as long as I was here, the three of us were going to get along just fine, and I was wondering if such a thing was possible when it was just Jack and her. But at the same time, I did not think we needed to try too hard on that until that path was getting there, and we would have to see if their personalities meshed at all.

...

Henry's POV -March 29 1993 5:10 am-: When I was having a really bad dream, I got myself up for a bit. I looked down at the other side of the room, and then remembered that Jack was not here tonight. I just wished that this was the one night that he would have been here, that way my reaction to waking up would have gotten him stirred up, and he would have probably gone out of his way to see what was going on with me. And that would have made the whole thing worth it. But I guess that maybe I was just needing to handle this on my own for once.

So I got out of my bed, thinking about how I would not be too loud to Dylan and Drake, since I knew that Drake was really bad at being woken up early and stuff. And I was not going to be taking the risk to this at all. I knew that if I woke up either one of them, I was going to be getting them yelling at me, and hating me for what I had done. So with that, I was just walking out of the main room, and I was just going up the stairs, feeling like when I was up there, I could just sit down and watch some movies for a hour or two before I would go back down and relax that way. I was glad that when I still had a few months left before I had to go to school, that for just a few months longer, I could be able to go bed and wake up whenever I had pleased, and not had to deal with anybody wanted me to do.

When I saw the time on the microwave in the kitchen, I knew that in about an hour or so, the sun was going to be rising, and I knew that there was going to be some merit to the idea that maybe I should not be staying up too long, in order to not deal with people coming along and telling me to go back to bed due to how early it was. I did not want to be up this early. But when you have a dream about your house being broken into, and you are the only one who can protect your four younger brothers, and you had to kill a man in order to do so, then you would see why I would have a hard time getting back to sleep as a result of this.

I mean, I had no idea how I was able to actually dream of something like this. I mean, I was too young for this, and I was too scared for this as well. I just wished that I did not have to deal with this, no matter what. But I guess that no matter what I wanted, or what I had felt, I was just going to have to find a way out of this disaster.

I was then sitting down, feeling like when I would be here, then I could just pretend like I am not really having all that big of a problem. But at the same time, I was thinking that me acting like this was just a lie. I lay down on the couch, feeling like I was going to just try to sleep up here, or just find some time to calm down. But then as I was doing this, I was seeing Josiah coming out of his room, and he was looking extremely tired, as if he was just getting up himself, and he seemed to not even notice that I was there.

He was going right to the sink, and he was starting to fill up a cup of water. Then he drank the cup of water, and put the cup down, slightly burping in satisfaction at what he had done. Then after he had that burp of his, he was walking by, and then he had seemed to notice me for the first time. "Henry, what are you doing up right now?" He asked me, and I was hearing that there was a modicum of worry that he was having in his voice. As if he was thinking that this was time for him to take on the older brother protective role.

"I just had a really bad dream. It scared me." I said, and then he sat down, and I was seeing that there was a split second of annoyance in his face, but he was aware of what it was like to be going through something like this, so he sat down next to me, and he was going to just try to find a way to be supporting me in this problem that I was having here.

"What happened in your nightmare that scared you so bad? You can talk about it?" Josiah asked me, and then I was looking at him, and I was starting to feel like as long as I was hearing him speaking to me like this, I was going to be fine. I did not need to fear anything, when I knew that he was going to just hear me out, and he was going to do his best to make sure that I was feeling better about this.

"I was the one watching the younger kids." I said, and I knew that there was something silly to saying that in front of my brother who was ten years older than me even then. But I think that he was still able to understand the point that I had made. "And when I was watching them, there was somebody who broke into the house. He was like that guy who Gabe had to fight earlier. And when he showed up, I was having no choice but to keep my younger brothers safe. I had no choice but to fight him, and I killed him in self defense. I did it to protect me and my brothers, but it scared me so much." I finished, and I was looking at Josiah, wondering what he was going to be saying to this.

"That may sound rough to be seeing. But the thing is that this was just a dream. That is all that it was. There is no way that this is going to be coming back and hurting you. This is something that you will be able to over come." After Josiah had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he actually had some way of believing that this was the case. That he was not even just saying that to me to make me feel better.

"I mean, I highly doubt that something like this will ever happen. I think that when you think about how much you might be over reacting to this, everything is going to be fine." After Josiah said that, I looked at him, and while I was unsure of if this was making me feel better or not, I did appreciate the fact that he was trying to do his best to make me feel better. So I was thinking that I just needed to go with it.

"Thanks for trying to help me feel better. You're a great brother." I said, and then Josiah hugged me for a second, before getting out of the couch, and he was going to be heading to his room. When I was seeing him heading to the room, I was then starting to stand up, feeling like I just needed to go bed myself. Or at least try. There was no way that something like this was going to be getting any worse. There was no way that any of this was going to continue to go against me.

Once Josiah was coming back to his room, he was closing his bedroom door, and then I was taking a deep breath. I was then thinking that when I was going to sleep, that the dreams were not going to hurt me as bad. I think that perhaps I was just needing to remind myself that these were just dreams, and that nothing could be hurting me in them. And that the worst that could happen was just people possibly giving me some trauma afterwards.

I then lay down on my bed again, doing my best to not wake up Dylan and Drake, and when I had done this, I was then closing my eyes slowly, and I was thinking about the last several minutes of the nights embrace being able to take me in, and just make me feel like there was something that could comfort me just at that very sight. I mean, I thought that when I was asleep, everything was going to be keeping this together in my own life. I just wanted to feel safe, no matter what I would have to say to myself to get that feeling.

...

Dylans's POV -March 29 1993 7:40 am-: I was starting to see the light coming in through the window, and I knew that there was no way that I could stay asleep for too much longer without having it bothering me. I was then slowly getting out of my bed, and then I was rubbing my eyes a bit, trying to find a way to keep it together, and I was not wanting to make a big scene out of waking up and stuff. So with that, I was feeling like I was ready to be just seeing if any of my older brothers were at least awake and hanging around. Since I had a feeling Ridge and Levi were asleep.

As I was getting out of the room, I was seeing that Todd was still in his room asleep. I think I heard him telling somebody, and I had just heard it casually that he was going to be getting up around eleven or so since he did not need to take super long to get ready, and he was having a car to drive there. And if he showed up a minute or two late on his first shift, surely the boss would give him a break and tell him that this was just a thing he should not repeat too often, and if he needed to, then he could set his alarm for ten forty five. The point is that he was not getting up for a while.

I was then sitting down on the couch, and I was hungry when I was sitting down. I did not know what I was going to be doing now. Considering the fact that I was just wanting to have something to eat soon, and that was the only thing that I really cared about at that moment. And when I was thinking about how much I wanted to eat, I felt like I could find something for myself. But I did not want my older siblings to freak out over seeing me trying something like this. So I decided that I would wait until another one of my siblings is getting up.

To be honest, I don't really remember most of the things that I have told you about here too much. I mean, I was just much too young for something like this. But here was something that I can very vaguely remember. It was probably one of my first, if not my first memory. And even then it was only for a few seconds, and it was over. I had no idea of what it had meant at the time, but I had a feeling that with everything going on here, that this might be something more serious than I could have ever imagined.

I was seeing that there was a black car driving by, and when I was seeing the drive by, I saw that there was a cigarette man in the drivers seat. After he drove by for a bit, I saw him parking the car. Once he had parked his car, he had gotten out of the car, and he was walking right towards the front yard of the house. I did not get what the hell he was doing, and I was thinking that perhaps the guy was just going to check up on the damage of the house or something like that.

He eventually reached the front yard, and he was stomping out the cigarette that he had just smoked, and shook his head. Then when he was done with that, he was walking right towards where I heard the guy was killed when fighting Gabe that first time. Then he was placing his hand on the grass for several seconds, and then he picked something up, as if he was just glad as fuck that this was here, and that he did not lose something very important and he had placed the item inside of his pocket.

Then as he was starting to go back to his car, he was seeing me for a split second. As if he could not believe that he did not notice me there before. Then he was walking to the window of the house a bit, and when he was only about five steps away from the window, he was putting his finger above his mouth, to tell me to be quiet, and then he was heading back to his car again. I was thinking that it was weird but nothing too scary with the first part. That part with the finger was the scariest thing that I had ever seen, and he was leaving like it had never happened.

Seeing that scared me to the bone, and I was just thinking about how silly it was that I was acting like this. But I was also thinking about how awful it would be when I was seeing these guys ruin my life in every single way possible. I was then looking down, telling myself that I would never have to think about it again, as long as I just pretended like what I had seen never really happened. Then I was telling myself that my literal safety depended on this information never being told to anybody.

I spent nearly half an hour on the couch unsure of what to do. That was pretty much my first real memory that I had in any form of validity. I mean, it was not enough to really make a big scene, and I don't remember anything for another several months afterwards. But I do have that in my mind because that guy doing that to me really scared the fucking shit out of me, and I never really fully got over with. I never told anybody about that event, and I never think that I will, since if I did, then I would be breaking what that man told me, and I would never be able to fully be prepared for if he were to ever see me again.

Now the next part of this is more of what everybody else said. But I was told that about half an hour or so after that event, I was seeing Seth coming bu, and he looked at me. He was seeing me looking like I had seen a ghost. He did not want me to be fearing anything, so he came and picked me up. Then he was walking me to my bed, where he would pretend to just act like he didn't see me like this, to make me feel better.

Seth was telling me that he had said some things to me calmly and quietly as we were going down. "Don't worry about anything. Everything is going to be fine. Nobody is going to be hurting you, and everybody is going to be here to protect you. You have seven older siblings and mom and dad to make sure you are fine." After Seth was telling me this, he placed me right down on my bed, and then he was wrapping me up in the blanket, as if feeling like he would let me be alone. "I will not tell anybody about this. You should have the right to be happy."

After he looked at me, I was seeing him looking like he was going to make sure that I was going to be fine and well. Then after he had looked at me for several seconds, he got up, and then he was heading out of the room again, and he was going to be alone again. He was thinking about what it would be like if anybody knew what he had done. I was thinking that he was being really nice by just letting me have that moment alone. That he was really nice to just let me be able to not freak out in public, and that he was not going to tell anybody what he had seen of me. And even if he did, was it really that big of a deal?

I was thinking that as long as I dreamed of other things, and repressed myself, everything else was going to be fine. I was thinking that by doing this, I could deny the truth, and I could deny what was going on, and I could deny that what had happened with Gabe was going to have any direct affect with me. I was thinking that there was no way that it could. He was doing his own thing, and he was sort of alone. There was no way that his activities were going to make any difference in my life. I mean, there was just no fucking way that it could, was what I had told myself until I was much older, and was much more able to be looking at the truth of what I had been seeing, and what I had to fight as I understood life better.

...

Drake's POV -March 30 1993 3:12 am-: I was trying to sleep that night as best as I could that night, but there was some loud noises that were going on upstairs and it was truly annoying me, so with that in mind, I was standing up, and I was going to be checking out what the hell this was going on here, and then I could go to bed again, after I started to realize how silly this whole thing really was.

Once I was out of the room, I was looking around, and I had seen that Todd was in the kitchen with some girl. It took me a second or two to realize that this was Bebe, and I was thinking thinking that when I was seeing them, both Todd and Bebe were going to be very annoyed with the fact that I had just gotten up and I was going to be interrupting what they were doing. "Hey Todd, do you think that the job is going to be something that you will stay at for a long period of time?" After she had said that to Todd, he was looking like he was unsure of how to respond, as if thinking that this was just a bit unrealistic for him to be even considering.

"Trust me, I will not be staying there longer than I need to. I mean, I did not hate it as much as I thought that I was going to. I mean, it was kind of fun. But staying there for a paltry amount of hours, and barely getting any pay check at all is not going to be worth it. I am going to have to find something else to be doing in this time. I think that I just am going to be focusing on saving a bit of money every pay check, and slowly using that to build up a back log of cash to get out of this town." After he had said that, he was unsure of what he was going to even do to accomplish this. "Besides, I think that the only way for this job to have any form of backing to my life is if I work more hours. Even just promoting myself to six hours a day would give me something else."

After he had said that, Bebe was thinking of one more thing that she would be able to say to Todd to make him feel better about this whole thing. "I think that when you work here, it will show some of the younger ones that having a job is not going to be so bad, and when they see that, they will get some, and then there will be more money added to the family that way. I think that everything is going to be fine when they start getting more." After she had said that to him, she looked down at the ground and she just happened to be seeing me there. She did not expect to see me there, and she was actually kind of thinking that she might need to chill out on their discussion just because she did not want me to be freaking out over the material. Not that I even knew what they were talking about.

"Hey, what are you doing up at this hour?" Bebe asked, and despite the split second of feeling a bit sad that she was not going to have more time with Todd, and she had felt like she deserved to have more time with Todd, but she was also feeling like maybe I needed to go to bed, and that she would take care of that, and just hope that I was going to actually not make a deal out of this whole thing. But I was just totally unsure of what to say.

"I heard something up here, and I was just wanting to come up and see what the noise was." I said, and then I was looking at the ground, feeling like I had been spoted doing something terrible and that they had every right to hate what I had done. "I just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to this house or anything." I said, and I was feeling like they were surely going to be looking at me as a nice little fucking hero.

"Alright. I guess that maybe we were being a little bit loud. Sorry for making a big deal out of this. But we are going to be fine. That whole thing was almost a week ago, and I think that anything that is going to happen by now would have happened. I think you are going to be safe. And if not, I will help protect you." After Todd had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was really willing to protect me, even if this was kind of annoying that he had to stop his conversation with Bebe just for this interruption.

"I love you." I said, and then I was seeing Todd looking like he had no idea what to be saying. As we were having this discussion in the kitchen of all places, I was looking along, and I was seeing that Gabe was coming out of his room. He had looked like he was just wanting to see what all the commotion was, and just to make sure that he did not have anything that he needed to worry about. When he had seen us, I was then nodding at Todd and Bebe, knowing that no matter what, they would protect me.

When Gabe was coming into the kitchen, he was clearly thinking about what he was going to be doing now. "Hey, how was your first day? I just thought that something was going on." Gabe said, and then after he was saying that to his older brother and Bebe, he was looking like he was just wanting to say something else. But that he really did not think that there was any point in doing this. He had felt like he was going to go to bed once he would get his answer.

"Oh not much. I mean, it was fine. But it is just my first day.I should probably be going to bed soon." After Todd said that to Gabe, he nodded, and then he was seeing Gabe started to walk out and then Todd called out to him for a moment, as if feeling like he was going to need to say something to get Gabe to see that he had been thinking deeply about something. "Thanks for calming down with that investigation. I mean, your younger siblings were scared and stuff. I appreciate the fact that you care though. I was unsure of if you really did or not." After Todd said that to Gabe, he was seeing that Gabe looked unsure of what to be saying now. If there was truly anything that he could say to him.

"I still feel like something is going on. I feel like I need to find out something. But I don't know if I am going to be ready for such a thing yet. I think that I should just try and focus on other things. Maybe if I pretend like nothing is happening for a while, then everything is going to be fine." After Gabe had said that to Todd, he was then nodding, feeling like this was the best thing that he was going to be able to say to his brother, and that anything else was possibly just going to be a fucking lie.

"Well, at least you are just keeping this to yourself right now. That is the best that I can hope for. I mean, I should respect the fact that you care, but I am just not sure what to be feeling. I just feel like there is something that can be explained by all of this." After Todd said that, Gabe was looking like maybe there was some truth to this statement. But he was still just not sure of what he was going to be saying now.

"I will see how to be feeling here. I am going to just try and act like this is all fine. I am just going to pretend like nothing is happening, and maybe it will be all that I need." Gabe said, and then after he had said that, he was walking away, and he was over this discussion. He was tired of debating this with his older brother, and he was tired of people trying to get him to not do something when there was clearly something going with this town. He just knew that something must have been happening, and he was going to have to try and see what that thing had been.

...

Levis's POV -March 30 1993 7:00 am-: Another few hours had passed when something else was coming up. I was wanting to find something to eat and drink, and I think that maybe some of my older siblings noticed that I would have a desire for this, as was the case when Josiah was coming along and picking me up. He was looking like he was sort of recovered after the situation with Henry, and he was carrying me out of the house. As he was carrying me, I was seeing Lydia coming up from down stairs, and she was looking like she was really happy more than usual the last few days, and I did not know what was going on here. I mean, it must not have been Ridge being born, because when people would tell me about her reactions to her youngest brothers, they told me that she was looking excited for a second, but did not seem to pay much mind to it after a while.

"Hey, how have you and Claire been? I am planning on going on a date with Sam soon. We met up a couple of times, and she said yesterday that she was willing to go on one with me." After Josiah had said that to Lydia, he was sounding really happy. Like this was like some form of a jack pot that he had hit. Like this was his first date ever, which I would not have been shocked if it was, since he was just fifteen at the time.

"Claire is a lot of fun. Haven't seen her in a couple of days though. So I might try and hang out with her soon. If our parents are fine with it." After Lydia had said that, she was wondering what the date with Josiah was going to be like. "Where are you going to be going on your date? I am so happy that you are having a girlfriend." After she had said that to Josiah, he was looking down as if he was being modest about the way that he had felt on this, but he was clearly happy somebody was showing to care about him, and did not seem to brush off his feelings here.

"I mean, I just thought that there was some form of a spark between the two of us. I felt like when I met her, and we were talking, that she had liked me a bit, and I knew that she was a cool girl. So I decided that the worst that could come out of it was that she was going to just tell me off." After Josiah said that, I was thinking about something that I could say. But I just could not understand the idea of love and the idea of relationships. It still just seemed a bit strange to me, even if I wished to get it.

"What time are you going to be meeting on the date?" Lydia asked Josiah, and he was able to come up with the answer right away. As if he had been planning this whole thing out for several days, just really wanting to make it all work out, with no flaws whatsoever, and she would love him.

"We're going on our date at seven in the evening. Still a while away, but honestly just sort of getting ready for the date myself." After he was saying that to Lydia, he was wondering if she had any advice for him. "Do you have any idea on how to make a girl like me? I don't want to mess this up."

"Just find something that you guys both like. And when you find that, see what makes it work. You already did that though." Lydia said, and she was clearly thinking about the music that they were both sharing. The music that they had both been going over regularly in the time that they had known each other.

"What about my flaws?" Josiah asked, as if thinking that this was going to be the main thing that was going to kill this date, and was going to make him lose everything that he was feeling like he had a small chance of being able to work out.

"Don't worry about that. Just think about how you can be able to show your good sides. If she likes you, your flaws would not really bother her too much." Lydia had said, and then she looked like this was the best answer that she could give, and this was clearly the route that he had needed to take.

"I can try. Thanks for that. I don't know how well it will work, but I feel the need to at least give it a go." Josiah said, and then I was looking up at Josiah, and he was clearly looking like he was just trying to find something else to say. But at the same time, there was no way that I would be able to help him out. I wanted to find something to say, but I thought that it was not all that big of a deal and that Lydia could handle this.

"I know that you are a cool guy. You just need to be calm and not try too hard. Just do what you can to make it all work." She said, and then after she had said that to him, she was feeling like there was not much to say now. She was then looking out the window, as if wondering if she was going to meet up with Claire again soon enough, or if that was just not happening.

"You are going to have so much fun with Claire. Trust me when I say that she is going to really enjoy hanging hanging out with you. Just have some fun, and don't worry about me all that much. I can handle rejection. Sure it is going to hurt if she says no, but I can turn it into a song, and I can be able to use that as fuel to keep going, and show people that I have something going." Josiah said, and he was actually sounding like he believed in this, and after I heard that, I finally said the first bit of dialogue in this entire conversation, even if it was not huge.

"You make good music." After I had said that, Josiah rubbed my head, and then Lydia was looking at me, and she was trying to remember if she had heard me speak before. But if she did not not, she was not going to make a huge deal out of it because she also did not want to make a big scene out of this.

"I try to make good music. I try to make music that fits the mood that I am in. You never know what is keeping you going until you really start to have something that you enjoy." After he was saying that to me, I was thinking that this comment would apply more to Lydia, since she knew this better, and since she was much older than me, she would probably have more idea of what he was speaking of here.

"Well, your music really inspires me. That is all that you need to worry about Josiah." Lydia asked, and then after she had said that, she smiled at her big brother, and she was wanting to say more. "When you have your next concert, I am going to bring Lydia along and we can have some fun watching you perform." After she had said that to Josiah, she was then starting to walk out, and she was clearly onto the idea of watching a great performance by Josiah, and if I was older, and able to appreciate what they were doing, I probably would have been able to do just that.

After Lydia was out of the room, Josiah was rubbing my hair a bit. "I really hope that this date goes well. I mean, come on, this is something that I need. I want to finally show people that I am a nice guy." After he had said that to me, he was sounding like he was just wanting to say more, but he was lost too. "I know you're only two, but thanks for listening to me, and not making a giant scene out of something that you want." Once he was done, he was thinking about the date that he was going to be having, and how he would make it all work.

I looked at the television, trying to decide if there was something that I wanted to watch. I mean, I had no idea what was going to be on, but I felt like it was going to be fun. I wanted to find something to watch, to keep myself entertained, since there was no way that I could be able to contribute to helping helping Josiah out in any way. And this was something that I could not wait until I was older to do.

...

Ridge's POV -March 31 1993 1:10 am-: I was waking up for a moment and I was seeing that there was pitch darkness around me. As that was happening, I was vaguely seeing something coming by the house. I mean, I was not sure what it was, but I was thinking that it was somebody once again. Then Gabe was coming by, as if to make sure that I was fine or something, and then after he was coming by, I was seeing him stop what he was doing. Almost like he could not believe what he was going to be looking at.

I was then seeing that he was coming towards the door of the house, and I was seeing him holding something with his left hand, like he was ready to fight for his life, and he was going to be fighting for the lives of his family at the same time. Eventually, I was just standing in my crib, thinking that I would watch what he was doing.

After he was outside, and I was seeing that there were two people who were out of their car coming towards him, I saw him looking like he was ready to fight. One of the guys was starting to just talk with him for a bit, or trying to talk to him, and after they were trying to discuss with him about some issues, Gabe was clearly looking like he was a bit agitated with the conversation that was going on.

I did not know what any of that conversation was due to young age and the fact that he was outside, so in this case, age was probably not even all that big of a issue. But then he had told me what had happened years down the line, because he would later reveal to me that for a split second, he saw that I was awake at that moment, and that I knew what was going on at some regard. This was what the conversation between them was. "Young man, you may not understand the purpose of what we are doing here. We are doing whatever it will take, even if the methods are a bit bad, to just make sure that the people in this town can be ready for what is going to come next in their lives." After he was saying that to Gabe, he was feeling like he was just needing to finally have something to say in his response.

"Listen, I just need to know what is going on here. That is all that I want to know. Can you please just give me some of this information head on? If you can give me that, then I promise that I will leave you alone. Or I will at least harder than I have been to be leaving you alone. I mean, I want to put this behind me as much as you want me to do so too." Gabe said, and then after he had said that to those two guys, he was seeing that these two men were looking kind of glad to be hearing him say such a thing.

"There is not much that you need to know. All that you need to know is that we got the situation under control. We do not need you to be getting in the business of our job. To be quite honest, it is only going to be making matters worse if you continue to be looking into this. The more that you look into this, the more that you are getting your siblings in danger. The most that you need to know is that there is nothing wrong going on with the town." The first man said, and then Gabe was holding up his hand.

"A man literally tried to kill me and my family because of information that I am starting to learn of. I think that this is enough for me to understand that there is indeed something happening here. So please spare me that bullshit, and don't tell me that I am thinking too hard about it. Clearly something is going on, and I have every right to learn what is happening here, when I am sure that there is something that is going to be getting in the safety of my siblings. I just have a right to make sure that my family is going to never get involved with this." After Gabe said that to the two guys, he was feeling like he was going to be making this guy sit down really listen to him more.

"That was a mix up. A complication. There is nothing going on that you need to be getting your family into. When you leave your family out of this, the more likely things are going to work out for them. I think that you are going to be making things much worse by getting yourself into this. So if you actually care about your family, just leave this alone." After he had said that to Gabe, I was seeing Gabe just looking like he had not wanted to deal with this.

Gabe was seeing that there was a guy pulling out a fucking knife, and then after he had seen that coming out of their pocket, Gabe was looking like he was going to need to protect himself. "I think that there is more that we can learn here. I think that we can actually stop and think about what we are talking about right now. I think that we can work something together." After he had said that, Gabe was then seeing the knife coming fight to the side of his chest. I saw him looking like he could not bear the pain any longer. Like he was just going to be getting himself killed trying to keep his own family safe. To be a good person for once. To be responsible for once in my entire life.

After he had been stabbed in the side of his chest, that was when he was holding the thing in his right hand as tightly as possible, and he brought it to the chest of that guy, and pressed some red button that was on it. Then he stabbed the man right in the chest, to kill him very quickly. Then he threw the man right inside of the car, and slammed it shut. Then he was looking at the other guy, and pulled out the knife that had been lodged in him.

After he had done that, he took the hand of the other guy, and slammed it to the hood of the car, and stabbed the guys left hand very quickly, and he was thinking that this was something he had every right to do, since he had been attacked first, and that there was no way in hell he was going to be letting anybody pretend like he was the bad guy here. Then when he had finished stabbing him, Gabe said something else to that guy. "Don't come back here again. No matter what anybody says to you, do not come here again." After Gabe had said that, he was seeing the other guy just looking like he was in too much pain to argue with me.

"Fine, you made your point. I will be leaving you alone, and I do not want to create any more controversy between us. The man was saying, and then after he had said that to Gabe, he was nodding, and then pulled the knife out. The other guy got right into his car, and then he was driving off, as Gabe rubbed the knife under his shirt to avoid the slight of the blood, and then he would go to go to the bathroom to get himself patched up, and then after he was done with that, he would go on and try to rest of the night, and recover from the wounds he had made. Knowing that he was going to be getting himself killed at this rate.

Then he walked inside of the house, and when he was coming along, he had looked along for a second, seeing me, and then smiling as I had looked at him, and he was knowing that he had done something of value. That he had done something to keep himself thinking that he had done the right thing. Then with that, he was going right to his room, where he would sleep.

I did not know what was going on. Even after only several days old, there was virtually no way that I could have been able to understand what the hell was happening. I mean, there were people fighting around me, and just pretty much killing each other. And I was having no clear context of what was going on at all. Which was something that was going to be the way that it would be for years at a time until I finally got it together.

...

Todd's POV -March 31 2:56 am-: I was hearing some hard breathing from when Gabe was asleep, and I did not know what to believe. I mean, I knew that it was not really much of my business what was going on with him. But at the same time, I had a feeling that this was going to directly affect everybody else in much more ways than he was wanting to admit. And that as a result, I needed to finally get him to grow the fuck up and admit what was going on with me. And when he would do something like this, then perhaps we could be able to work together.

I was looking up, and I was seeing that he was clearly hiding one specific part of his chest extra well with the blanket, as if thinking that perhaps if anybody saw what was going on there, that somebody was going to just question him on all of this, and just be trying to get him to open up on this information. I just felt like I had to finally do that, but at the same time, I was not wanting to wake him up.

I had a feeling that he was getting himself in more trouble. But I just did not really know if he was trying to anymore or not. That was what I had wanted to finally discover. If he even cared for any of this, or if he was getting himself involved in something much deeper, and he was finally starting to get caught up in this. Or on the third option, where I was just thinking too deeply into this whole thing, and that I needed to finally leave him alone.

My opinion on the matter was a huge whirlwind, and that was something that was just making me feel over whelmed. And I was not really wanting to be bothered by this whole thing anymore. I was just thinking that I could come along and I would just maybe stay the night at Bebe's place, and then just think things out there.

So I went right to my car outside, and when I was in my car, I was just thinking about how late it was already getting. I was thinking that she was not going to appreciate me doing this to her, but at the same time, I just had to fucking find somebody who would be able to listen to me. Somebody who I could vent to, no matter what was happening.

I mean, as much as I hated it, I had rather conflicting opinions on the matter. Of if this was real, or if this was a large fucking lie. I did not know which one it was, but at the rate things were going, I was starting to believe that either outcome was very much possible. I felt like there was a decent chance that the stories Gabe had were true, and there was also a good chance that he were just digging into this way too deeply.

I just had no idea how to be feeling on the matter, and even thinking about this whole thing was making me feel like my world was falling apart. I was feeling like I was just needing to find something to keep myself going. I just wanted to make it seem like I was not totally scared to talk to people about this whole thing. I just wanted to finally see what was true, and what was a lie. If I had a idea which was which, then I could finally be able to have a plan on how to handle this stuff. That was what I had really fucking needed. No matter what the path to getting that answer would be, I needed to get that answer now.

I was sighing a bit, and I was thinking that I would at least have a night drive for a while, finally taking the time to be responsible, and taking the time to finally just get myself to calm down and be realistic on everything that had been going on. I needed to finally shut up, and I needed to finally think on what was going on now.

As I was starting the drive, I was thinking that if I drove around for a few minutes to finally think, I could be able to get some thoughts, while also giving Bebe another few more minutes to just sleep and be to herself. I felt like this was all that I had been able to accomplish. I just needed to really actually be doing this for myself, while also thinking about the importance of the health of my family members and girlfriend. I needed to finally just think about what I could do to make sure that everybody was able to benefit greatly from my increased efforts on having more commitment to things.

As I had been driving around for a while, I was thinking about how nice the night view was. I mean, I never got why the night view of this town was so great, when I was always feeling like there was things going on around me that was going to just bring down any feeling of comfort around me. I just wanted to finally feel like I could make my younger brothers and Lydia feel like they would trust me, but I did not know if I could get them to trust me when I could not even fully trust myself.

As I had thought about how I had been failing them in some extents, I was feeling like I was the worst brother in the world. I hated myself for not giving them more of a shoulder to cry on, or a man to talk to. But I just was not that good of a person. I had hoped that sooner or later, they were going to finally accept that truth of me. Even if it was going to be the hardest thing in the world for them to truly understand and accept.

I was then thinking that despite how much Bebe might be annoyed with me coming up without any context or warning, I thought that she would be willing to give me support. That she would be willing to put aside what she had felt on the issue to really listen to me, and actually listen to what I would have to say. And when she would do this, then perhaps her talking to me could be able to get me to feel like I knew what to do to finally move on from the issues I had.

I hated being like this. I hated always coming here, and just acting like somebody was needing to always comfort me. But at the same time, I would rather have comfort than to have people just brushing me off, and acting like they did not care for me. I just wanted to have that small feeling like I did actually matter. Even if it was by somebody like the person that I had been seeing and dating lately. But it was all that mattered.

After I had been thinking about that for a while longer, I was then getting closer to the house, and I was thinking that if she was pissed at me, and she hated what I would do, she was going to just tell me that she would want me to wait until later in the day before coming here and asking her these types of things. But I felt like she was going to get over it relatively soon when she knew how much this whole thing was really getting to me here.

I was eventually parking, and then I killed the engine as fast as I could, in order to not make too much of a scene here, and not to be getting people to be angry at me, and hating me for what I was doing. I felt like if anybody was really going to hate what I was doing, it would be her family, and I really did not want them to be angry at me, no matter what it would be taking in order to get there. But I was also feeling like I was going to have to meet them soon anyways, and that I might as well just try to do it sooner or later. Then I was shaking my head, thinking that I needed to be smart.

I was needing to actually think about what I was doing, and that I was going to have to be looking at this from a real approach. A approach that was going to get some results in. So after I was feeling like this, I was just then getting out of my car, and I felt like I was going to have to try and find a way to get this done, but also to be quiet while I was doing so, no matter what it would take in order to accomplish that.

...

Gabe's POV -March 31 1993 6:08 am-: When I was trying to sleep, I woke up a bit, and I was just feeling like what I had been dealing with was going to possibly be getting me killed. I was just getting up, and then I was feeling like the pain was growing a lot less than it had been back when the stab had first happened, but it was still something that was truly making me feel like I had taken this too far. Like I had finally come to that point where I needed to fucking stop and actually consider what was being done by me. I just finally felt like I had started to bite off more than I can manage, for better or for worse. And when I was thinking that, I had to finally think about what I was doing now.

I thought that if anybody was going to see me and what had happened to me, I was going to finally tell them the truth. I would no longer lie about this, and I was going to admit that I had a problem. And when I would tell them the truth, then perhaps they would be able to actually help me out. Despite such a thing feeling like it could not really even work out at all. But I was wanting to finally just admit that something was going on with me, and that I needed to finally take credit for this issue that I had been making here.

I was starting to think about the mistakes that I had made with this, and my error of judgment, that even I had to admit were very much true when I was seeing Seth coming out of his room, probably just to go to the bathroom for a bit, and then as he saw me looking like I was finally having a bit of a health break down, he knew that he had to try and see what was going on with me. He knew that my issue was more important than anything else in the world at the moment. So with that, he sighed, and started to walk towards me, and then he would sit down, and actually listen to my problems, and try to help me out.

"Hey Gabe, what is bothering you right now? I mean, you really look rough today. I mean, much more rough than I ever thought I could have seen you around before." After Seth had said that to me, I was finally feeling like I was just needing to open up about my mistakes to other people. I needed to finally just admit that there was some problem that I had. I had taken this whole thing too far, and I needed to actually try to consider what I had been doing now.

"I almost got myself killed tonight. I did not really know how to be ready for such a thing. I thought that I could be able to protect the people around me. But how can I protect you guys if I can't even protect myself?" I asked, finally feeling like I was addressing the main issue that I was having here. The fact that I was being fucking stupid with what I had been doing. "I just thought that nothing was going to stop me until I had finally fulfilled my purpose. But it seems like something like that is just not going to ever happen." I finished, and saw Seth looking horrified at this. As if he was unable to comprehend what I told him.

"Why are you still doing this, if you are going to possibly die from doing these things? I mean, would this not be worth it? I mean would you really want to keep this whole thing up, when you are barely holding on anymore. I think that you need to consider what is going on here. The fact that you are almost dying from these things. But I guess that this does confirm that something is indeed going on, and that it is beyond just simple fears. Do you have any idea what this could be?" After he had asked me this, I was looking at him, and I just wanted to speak to him in a way that would make him feel comfortable.

"I am doing this because I feel like I had to make a difference. But this time it was honestly not on purpose. They were at the parking lot of the house, and there was something that made me think that I could be able to try and talk some compromise to them. But I guess that something like this is just impossible. I have no idea what this is, but every time I try to get closer, I am shot down from a figurative standpoint. And I am feeling like something like this could be a literal sense. But I just don't know. It is important enough to try to cover up people knowing. But I just need to know myself." After I had said that to Seth, I saw him looking a bit confused at this whole thing.

"Gabe, do you think that your life is going to be worth it? Do you think that living is going to be worth hiding the truth from now on? I mean, you look like you are miserable, and do you really even feel the need to look at this now?" After he had asked me this, I felt like I needed to try and be honest with him, while also knowing what I could say to be honest with myself. I did not know which was going to be harder for me to actually accomplish. And which one was more important.

"I did not know how much it was scaring me until I almost died. But now when that happened, I think that maybe this is my wake up call. The call that I needed to take to realize that this is too much. I can't fucking do this anymore. I need to fucking just think about what I am doing. I need to fucking truly understand that I am going to be killed if I keep this up. But if I stop, and I leave this alone, and I do nothing, then I have a small chance to be able to survive." After I say that to him, and then after I said that to Seth, I saw him looking like he understood what I had been meaning here.

"Well, I guess that everybody needs a wake up call. And you feel like you are finally ready to be living more, and just take things the way that you wish." After Seth was saying that to me, and then I was feeling like everything was coming together, I just wished that I needed to finally find a way to keep him feeling like we could have been safe together and stuff.

"I am going to try and live from now on. That is the beat that I could do. I have no idea what I can do besides just saying that." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I felt like I could get get Seth to finally see that this was the worst thing that I could have ever done. "From now on, if I have more chances to live, I am going to just take every day to truly be having fun to the fullest." I finished, feeling like I could just be able to take this conversation to a conclusion.

"Well, I hope that you mean this. I hope that you can find an amount of happiness with what you are going to do in the future." Once Seth was saying that to me, he was standing up and looked right at me. "I think that this new chance at life is going to be great. I really hope that you take this to the best level that you can. I hope that we can have more chances to have a good time."

After he had said that, he was then walking out of the room, and he went to his room. I was then laying down on the bed, feeling like I just needed more time to sleep, and then give myself a day or two to recover, and maybe go out for a job application or something. I did not know if it would work. But I felt like I needed to just get this whole thing together. I went out right away, with how tired I really was now. I was just thinking that this was going to be the one thing that I had really fucking need.

...

Josiah's POV -April 1 1993 4:20 am-: I was having a hard time going to sleep that night. You know, it was just something that even if I wanted to do, I just could not really be able to accomplish. And as I was just laying in my bed, I was seeing that there was a guitar near my bed. I decided that I would just play on it for a few minutes, and then I would just go to bed after that, after I played a song or two. I felt like I knew how to be quiet enough not to wake Seth up. Or at least to try and do something like this, to make him less angry at me or something for being up and doing this.

As I grabbed the guitar, I played it for a little bit, just sort of trying to keep my mind focused on other things. I was playing as quiet as I could, in order to make it have a good chance of not getting Josiah up, since I knew that if he would wake up, he was going to be rightfully pissed at what I was doing. He was going to be yelling at me for doing that, and he was going to be asking me what my fucking problem was. And I did not want to be ratted out by my eleven year old brother.

After I played a song or two, I was trying to keep myself as focused as possible on other things, in order to just not make any form of a problem here. I finished the song, feeling like I could finally put this to a rest. When I played a song or two, I put the guitar down, and I had felt like I was fine with everything that was happening now. I felt like I did not need to worry about this too much anymore. As I was laying down on the bed, I was hearing a voice calling out to me. I did not expect to hear it, although I probably should have given the circumstance.

"Hey Josiah..." Seth asked me, and when I first heard the voice, I was kind of annoyed for not thinking about how this would have happened. I looked right at him, and I just stared at him for a bit, while he was clearly thinking about what he was going to say to me to get my real attention. "So do you think that there is something going on here? If you saw Gabe today, you would know that he got hurt really bad, and he is looking like he is really not holding up too well." After Seth told me that, I was thinking about what I could be able to tell him, in order to get him off of my case, if such a thing could even feasibly be done. But I felt like it was just worth a try at least.

"I don't know what it is. I wish that I had a idea what the hell is happening here. I want to know what is going on here too, because doing so would finally put a end to this insane debate. But I think that you do not need to worry about that too much. I would prefer that you just work on your own things. I think that most people would agree with that." After I said that to Seth, I was feeling him looking like he was not very satisfied with this answer, and I knew that I needed him to relax, but I just had no idea how I would be able to do this.

"But do you think that our older brothers would tell us even if they knew what was going on? I think that they deserve to know what it is, but I think that they will lie about it." After Seth had said that to me, I was looking down at him, and I felt like he was being stupid to me. He tried too hard to make the answers come, at the cost of his own happiness.

"They will not tell us I believe. I thin that they would want us to have some happiness, and just to be able to go along and do our own thing. I think that they would be very angry at themselves if any of this information was revealed to us. I mean, if we had learned over time on our own regard, that would be one thing. But they will not let us know on their own accord. And I might be glad that they are doing something like that." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing Seth looking like he was just trying to accept something like that.

"I just feel like there is something that we could be able to do. But I don't know. I just feel like when I am stuck here, and I do not do anything, then I am just letting everybody do the work for me. Which I would not really want them to get that impression." After Seth said that, I was then thinking he was still too young to fully be able to get it. "I am just worried that our siblings are going to die." After he had said that to me, I then nodded in agreement at that, for better or for worse.

"I may not like it, but you are right. I just have no idea how to better describe it myself." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then thinking about the life that we were living. The life of not knowing what our siblings were doing, and what we were pretty much going to just do when we were sitting around, not fucking doing anything even when we had a immense wish to actually do something of importance here.

"Yeah, I don't know. I feel like I will be able to understand it soon enough. I think that I just need to take it easy." After Seth said that, he was then looking at me one final time, feeling like I needed to finally give him a question that I could be able to actually answer. "Are you planning on going out and doing stuff like this or not?" After he had asked me this question, I looked at him, and I was truly unsure of what I was supposed to be telling him, and if what I would say would actually have any real bearing in the long run, since I had no idea what was to happen.

"I can't really be able to promise you that I will not do anything. What I can promise is that I will not be going out and doing this willingly. If this is something that I do, it will be out of sheer force. It will be because I have no choice but to be doing that. I think that if I were to be going around and doing this, I would be kind of stupid for actually wanting to figure out something here." I said, and then after I was telling him that, I was then thinking that I had finally said all that I was going to have to state.

"Well, I just hope that nothing happens that will make you feel forced to do anything. I really would not want to see you putting yourself in danger." After Seth said that, I was seeing him looking like he really was meaning what he had said here. I thought about what he was saying, and how much this was just going to be getting to me. "I mean, you were there when nobody else would be." I did not know if he was talking about the show, or other things, when he was telling me that, but I knew that what he was saying was actually true deep down.

"Well, I will see what I can do to make sure that this does not get any worse." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was then thinking about what I had been saying, and what I was going to do to really get him to see that I was not going out of my way to make things any worse.

"Just know that I would never make anything worse for you on purpose. I would be a terrible person if I were to be doing something like that to you. But I just don't know what I can accomplish. I want to help you though feel like you are going to be happy with this city." I said, and then after I had said that, I was thinking that I would just leave it alone, and that we could be able to sleep the night away, and just pretend like this was not that big of a deal after all.

...

Seth's POV -April 1 1993 6:38 am-: I had another about two hours or so of sleep after that conversation that I had with Josiah, and when I was waking up, I was feeling like I was just wanting to get a few more minutes. But at the same time, since I knew that something like this was probably just not really going to be happening. I was walking along, trying to find some way to be not going out over the top on my break that I was having. I mean, I still had a few more days left of the break, and I was just wanting to take to it the best that I could. I was thinking that maybe I could go on and try to see that Manny guy again. Since that was going to be something that had given me some motivation to do better in life.

So with that, I was looking at Gabe, and I was seeing him still asleep. I mean, throughout yesterday when he was awake, I was seeing him looking like he was not having such a bad problem after all. I think I was just scared for what was happening, and that he was not fine and stuff. But when I was seeing Gabe walk around, I was feeling strange at being aware of the fact that I was probably the only person who actually had any fucking idea what was going on here. What was really dragging him down in a way.

I was then looking right at the house door, and I was thinking that I was going to be leaving this place, just to get this over with, and not have anybody tell me off. I felt like if anybody was going to try and tell me off, then they would have probably already done this. But I did not really think that anybody was going to actually care all that much what I was doing.

I opened the door, and I headed out of the house, and I was walking on over there. As I was walking to Manny's place, I had no real clue of if he was going to actually want to hang out or anything. But I felt like there was no point in not trying at least. I felt like the worst that could come out of this is just Manny saying that maybe we were not able to have good personalities, and that we should probably not really hang after all, and then after he would say that, I would slowly get over it.

I eventually reached his house door, and I knocked on it. For some reason, despite him being my comedy rival, he was a lot of fun to hang out when we were not dealing with the comedy stuff. I felt like we were actually having some form of a actual social connection that could make me feel like I could understand.

When Manny answered the door, I saw him looking like he was just tired or something. I did not blame him, since it was not even seven in the morning. I was telling myself that maybe I should have thought about that a bit better before I just walked in and tried to socialize with him this way. But then I was telling myself not to be thinking about it all that much. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked me, and I was looking down, as if thinking that he had already made his point, and that I did not need it rubbed in too much anymore.

"Well, I was just wanting to see if you were free to go on and hang and stuff. If you don't want to, I guess that it will not really be all that big of a deal." I said, and then after I had said that to Manny, I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to tell me off. But at the same time, considering the fact that I was here, and he did not want to be too much of a asshole, he was just going to be going along with this. Besides, his parents were probably not going to be cool with him telling somebody off when they were actually wanting to go on and see him.

"Well, since you are here, we might as well see what we can do with it. I mean, there is no real reason not to do this." After he said this, I was seeing him looking like he was going to probably get over the fatigue soon enough, but that he was just really wishing that I had waited another hour or two before I did this to him. Once he was letting me inside of the house, I was thinking that my worry about him turning me down was going to down a bit longer.

"Well, how has your break been so far?" I asked, and then I was seeing him looking like he was surprised that I would actually have the courtesy to ask him this. I mean, I think that he was just not really expecting me to stretch out that to him, and make him feel like he was being welcome to discuss these things with me.

"It has been fine so far. I mean, I have tried to get some friends to hang out with me. But I guess that nobody wants to hang with that guy who just is all gloomy and stuff. Who just does not really have any emotion showing on a regular basis. I think that maybe I am just not really going to be considered the cool guy anymore." After he had said that to me, I saw him looking a bit sad at the fact that he was openly admitting this, and I was just wanting to him not feel so bad about the personality that he had, considering the fact that I knew so many different types of personality with all of my siblings.

"Well, people are just being to worried about these silly things if they care that much about you being popular or not. If they care so much about you openly showing your opinions and stuff, then I think that they need to relax. I think that they are just needing to finally see that there is different ways people expose themselves." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing him looking like he did not really know what he was going to even say after that.

"I think that there is something valid to it though. Nobody wants to hang out with a person who never opens up about the feelings he has and stuff." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him sort of wanting to find more to say. I felt like there was no real point in even saying anything else. I was just sort of thinking that he had made his mind up, and that even arguing with it was just going to be mostly ineffective. But I was wanting to really make him feel like he was still able to talk with somebody. "I mean, when you have nine brothers and a sister, there is no way that they are all going to be alike, and that you are just going to be used to something like this on a regular basis."

"I guess that you are the expert on this. But I just guess that maybe I don't get it. I mean, I should take your word on this though." After he had said that to me, I was glad to know that he was admitting that I was actually kind of smart on this, and that I was able to help him out with this. But at the same time, I wanted to finally make him feel more open with just having some regular discourse with me.

"Besides, from what my older siblings tell me, differences in culture and value and ideas is something that is accepted when we get older." I said, and then after I told him that, I was seeing the guy looking like he had really hoped that I was telling the truth here. Since he was going to have to change himself entirely if I was not, and he did not know if he was ready for such a thing.

"I guess that they might be able to help you there. Thanks for telling me that. It makes me feel a lot better, hearing you tell me that this is how it works." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more, but did not know if there was going to be any importance to it. Then with that, I was seeing him looking like he was willing to take the challenge at least, to see if it was right for him.

...

Jack's POV -April 1 1993 10:34 am-: I woke up, and I was seeing that Seth was already out doing something today. I was shocked when I had seen that, and I was wondering what the heck was going on that let him leave so fast. I wanted to see if there was a small chance that I would be able to join along and see what he was doing. But at the same time, I knew deep down that this was none of my business, and that I was just taking this too seriously. But I did not really know if it mattered all that much.

I was seeing that Gabe was out of bed, and he was looking at something like a news paper. I did not know how to react, since I never seen him doing something like that. Then again, I never seen him go more than two days without shaving, and he hadn't shaved once since Ridge came home the first time, and that was eleven days ago. I mean, you could already start to sort of see a stubble on his chin, a start to a mustache, and even a little bit on his cheeks. I mean, it was not enough to make a full beard. But it was still more than I had seen any of my siblings have.

"Hey, what is going on?" I asked, and I was seeing that he was kind of shocked to see me trying to talk to him. Then after he had seen that, he decided that he was going to tell me some of his plans, and explain to me what was going on. And I felt that I would just listen long enough to see what it was.

"I am looking for job applications. I mean, Todd already has been working for a few days, and I am going to be graduating school soon, and there is going to be that need to have extra money to the house and for myself when I leave. I mean, think about it. There are two adults in this house, two adult siblings I mean, and two parents. There are four people who can actually help make a profit to this house. I think that we need something like this really badly. You know, even more so with another sibling here, and you guys getting progressively older." After he explained that to me, I nodded, and I was able to understand, and I was thinking about the job that I was going to have to work soon enough, when I was a teenager as well. And the one Josiah would need to do.

"Where are you looking at right now?" I asked, and then after I asked him that question, he was looking right at me, and smiled, as if thinking that this was something that I would really enjoy. So I was getting myself slightly excited for this.

"I am looking at the local Chuck E Cheese. It's close enough, and I have a feeling that if I work there, we could have discounts at that place, and I could get them cheaper. I mean that would be fine, and I don't really think that anything bad is going to be coming out of it. Besides, it's not like I could stay here for a super long time or anything." Gabe told me, and then after he had said that to me, I was finally really excited. I mean, I was not a huge Chuck E Cheese guy. But the idea of us getting reduced prices on our pizza was going to be worth it. And if Gabe was able to get really good with his boss, he might be able to get the boss to let him have the ever so occasional free pizza. Which was going to be great for his family.

"Well, I hope that you get the job, if you want it so much." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just kind of wanting to see how it would work. I was just feeling like I was just going to see what it would be like if he had managed to get that job, and how much he was finally going to really add something to this house.

"Thanks. I am going to be seeing what I can do to get the job as soon as possible. I don't know if it will work. But I think that it is certainly worth the try at least. I think that I will let you know what the boss would want me to do if I get accepted into this." After Gabe had said that, he was standing up, thinking about how he was going to be presenting himself to the people at his application. He was clearly wanting to actually get people to give him a chance.

"Do you think that you can be able to work when you are at school or anything?" I asked, and I was seeing him looking at me, as if thinking that this was a good question. But he did not know how he was going to be able to answer me honestly, given the fact that it was really not going to be all that big of a deal. Well, to him in a way, it was not going to be a big deal.

"To be honest, I don't really think that it is something that I need to worry about. I mean, I am leaving school in two months, and besides I am doing good in my classes. If it is going to be that big of a issue, then I can just tell them that I need to work less hours. I can be able to make something work." After Gabe had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of glad that he had been thinking about a way he would finally add to the family, in a way that could make him feel proud.

"Well, as long as you feel like it is going to be fine, I will try not to worry too much about it. I just wish that there isn't anything that makes this too hard on you." After I had said that to him, I was seeing Gabe just sort of looking like he was thinking about what he was doing, and thinking about the fact that he, like his older brother, would now be basically selling his soul to the devil.

"I mean it is something that I have to do sooner or later anyways. I think that I just have to be ready for the fact that with a house of thirteen, every single fucking dollar matters. And that is something that I have to be willing to accept." After Gabe had said that, he was then just placing his hand on my shoulder, wanting to find something else to say, but could not really find the proper words to fully describe the way he had felt.

"Thanks for caring so much about us." I said, and then Gabe was looking like he was thinking about how there was nothing else that he was wanting to do besides this. Nothing else that he was needing to do besides just finding a way to finally provide as best as he can for his own family. "Thanks for wanting to help us when you don't have to." I finished, and then Gabe was shaking his head at that second comment, not at what I had said, but because of how wrong it really was.

"That is the thing. I do think that I have to. I would certainly never forgive myself otherwise. I have to at least try and do something right for once." After he had told me this, I was seeing him looking like there was almost a regret to his voice, for merely even being born, and not being able to do better to help us out when we really needed such a thing. But he did not want to make anybody think that he was being too sappy with this whole thing.

"Just enjoy yourself as much as you can. And if you can find a way to work with the cheaper pizza for the family, I am sure our siblings will appreciate that." After I had said that, I saw him nodding, as if aware of that statement, and thinking that this was going to be something that he would have to do to really make a real impact on the matter. With that, he was out of the room, and he was going to be heading to the job interview sight, and I was just hoping that it would succeed. That he would get that job he wanted really badly.

...

Lydia's POV -April 1 1993 12:36 pm-: I was walking around for a while, I was seeing that Todd had just left for work, which meant that he was probably going to not be bad for another four to six hours. Gabe had left to put in a application as Jack had told me quietly. And I was going to be having Claire come along, and she was going to finally meet some of my brothers. Something like this was really excited, and I wanted to finally do something else with her. I was thinking that when she would meet my brothers, she would be thinking that it might be a bit overwhelming. But she would also find it fun to see them all. At least that was what I had felt it was going to be like.

I was just sitting down, getting ready for when she was going to be here. I was thinking that I needed to find a way to really present ourselves well, to make her feel like she would actually want to see us in the first place. But at the same time, I was thinking that if she met my brothers, she would probably be fine with meeting a few people with varying personalities who had no idea how to really have a good social interaction with people who barely knew her and stuff. Although I was not wanting to admit that.

As I was waiting for Claire to show up, that was when Henry had shown up, and he was looking at me, as if if thinking that he was going to expose me or something. I mean, I had no idea what was going on with him to make him think that he was going to expose me for something. I just thought that he was probably thinking that this was going to be fun. "So Claire is coming?" Henry asked, feeling super excited to see what the girl I have been hyping up for a couple of weeks now.

"Well, I hope that she does not think that meeting you all is a bit much. I don't want to lose something like a friendship because she's overwhelmed." I said, feeling like what I was saying was a valid concern, and one that I really needed to be brought to the public. She was going to think that all of these brothers were just a bit much to really understand.

"We will behave for you." Henry said, and he was probably thinking that he could behave. But he was unable to really determine how the four really young ones were going to be doing anything. He was thinking that it was a valid assumption to make that they might not really be able to work with me the way that I was really wishing that they would. And I was thinking that this could make things harder. But I could not have any time to think of it until there was a knock on the door.

When I answered the door, I was seeing that Claire was standing right there, and she was looking super happy to see that I was still here, and that I was going to be able to hang out with her. I was telling myself that I was not going to be messing any of this up. I did not want to make any of this worse for her, and I was hoping that my brothers could be able to come through in a pinch for this issue. That I was going to have them help me out here.

"I don't want to lose any time with you. Let's get right to hanging." I said, and then Claire nodded as she was going right inside. Once she was inside of the house, she looked right at Henry, and saw that he was looking like he was like really depressed or something. That was the way that she had taken his looks. "That's the oldest of my younger brothers, Henry." I said, and then after I said that, he waved casually.

"I heard a lot about you. She told me first." After Henry said that, I was unsure of if this was really even important for him to mention. But I told myself that maybe he was just having a small amount of satisfaction with knowing that he was the one who really got to know me first out of all of us, as if thinking that this was really important. I decided that he was still being innocent enough about it all.

"I think she mentioned you once. She said that you were the one who really liked scary stuff." After Claire said that to him, he was nodding, as if this was something that he was extremely proud of. As if being into really scary stuff was something to actually be worth being proud over. But I decided not to say anything.

"Well, I like the movies that play on TV. They are fun." Henry said, thinking that there was no real need to explain any further, and I guess that maybe to some extent, that might have been true enough. There was nothing else I wanted him to say on the matter.

"Well, as long as you don't get in trouble when you watch the movies, then I guess that it really is not all that big of a deal." After she had said that to Henry, then she looked right at me, as if wondering what I was going to be telling her next. She was looking like she had wanted to see what my other brothers were like, just out of pure interest.

"Do you know where your other ones are right now?" Claire asked me, and then I was able to answer her question pretty quickly, since I had a pretty good idea on what all of them were usually doing on a regular basis, for better or worse.

"Todd is at a job right now, trying to add some money to the family. Then you have Gabe, who is trying to get a job himself. Then Josiah is either playing music in his room or going on a date with this girl named Samantha or hanging out with friends. Seth is probably going out and hanging out with some friends, or trying to find some people he can present his comedy to. Jack is probably around here somewhere, or playing out with his sports material. Then you have Dylan and Drake who are just most likely running around the house somewhere and it will be very hard to miss them. Then Levi and Ridge are the babies of the family, and they stay pretty much all the time in our parents room unless if we are feeding them or changing diapers." I said, and then after I had finished that, I was seeing Claire looking like she was going to have a good starting place on how to figure this out.

"So I guess that Henry and Jack are going to be the easiest to try and talk with." After she had asked me this, I was thinking about it a bit, and Henry was looking right at us, as if wondering why were speaking about him like this when we were looking right at him and stuff. He was wondering why the hell we were just not actually speaking to him in person.

"If you want to try and hang out with them, I guess that it is something that you can do. But I would not be too worried about it." I said, and then I was seeing Henry looking like he was wanting to know what Claire was like. And if he was going to be able to learn a bunch of information about her this way.

"How do you guys like getting to see each other? I mean, Lydia has talked about you non stop for like days on end. She talks about how awesome it is to be hanging out with you, and talks about what it is like to hang with each other for extended periods of time." Henry said and then I was thinking about what Claire was going to say.

"We do enjoy the hand outs. I mean, I don't know how else to describe it. It just is a lot of fun to be able to hang out with." Claire asked, and then Henry smiled, and then I felt like I could be able to have something to say to add to the whole discussion.

"She was really wanting to meet you guys. And as long as that works, then I think that there is nothing wrong with that." I said, as we sat down on the couch, and I was then just looking at the television as Henry was clearly wanting to find something to watch. As he was thinking about how to continue this, he decided that he would try to ask some basic questions here.

...

Henry's POV -April 1 1993 4:18 pm-: The excitement of having Claire around had sort of died down a bit, and I was just more sort of used to her being in the area than anything else. I was wondering how long she did plan to stay over though, just so that way I could be able to have a idea on what the rest of the day was going to be like. As that had happened, I was seeing Todd coming inside of the house, and he was looking like he was fatigued a bit more than he thought that he was going to be. I was thinking that maybe there was something going on with him, but I decided that I should not be asking him, as he was going to act like I could not understand it since I was so young, and I decided that I would just keep it to myself.

That being said, I decided that I would indeed see how exactly he was doing, and if he was having any plans for that night. "Are you going out and doing anything?" I asked, and I was seeing Todd looking right down at me, and he was clearly looking like he was not wanting to spend too much time talking too me about the whole thing. But he decided that it was not going to be the end of the world to give me some form of a answer.

"I am going to be going on and seeing Bebe tonight. We are probably going to just have some fun and relax. I don't really think that we have any real intentions on doing anything too crazy. I think that when she sees me though, she is going to want to see how you all are doing." After he had said that, he was giving me a faint smile, as if thinking that it was great that she showed to have some interest in us, even if sometimes it did sacrifice the time it would to hang out with her one on one.

"That's awesome. It sounds like she really cares about the time that you guys have together." I said, and I was being truthful when I said that. I did not think that she didn't care for him or anything like that. I just wished that I had a better answer that I was going to be able to give him. But I guess that if he did not want to talk about it, then it was his choice to do so.

"Gabe might be getting a job soon. And Lydia is hanging out with Claire here." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I saw him looking like the latter was really exciting. Like he had wanted to know what Claire was like, after hearing so much about her all of this time. But I guess that maybe he was just wanting to know what his sister was doing in her own free time.

"I have been wondering what she is like. I mean, I have heard so much about her, I think that I just want to finally get the answer once and for all." Todd said, and he was looking right at Henry, and he was curious at what I was going to be saying. To be honest, I was feeling at a loss for material, and I felt like there was not much that I could be able to do to add to the discussion.

"I mean, she is probably in Lydia's room down stairs. I think that if she is not there, then you might be able to find her outside or something. I don't know." I said, and then I was pointing outside, thinking that my answer was fine. I did not think that anything I was saying to him was wrong or anything. I just might not have known everything. But I had made no attempt to be controversial or anything like that.

"Thanks for letting me know. I am going to try and see what she is doing. if you want to come along, you can, but I don't really care." After Todd had said that to me, he was starting to walk off, and I was calling out to him, feeling like I could find something that I could say to him that would catch him by surprise. But do so in a good way. A way that was going to make him feel better about what I was going to say.

"Hey Todd, are you happy when you are with Bebe?" I asked, and I felt like this was a very important question. I wanted him to be honest with me, and I was not wanting to judge him or anything. I just wanted to see what he was going to say, and if what he would say could make any difference in my perception of how happy and lovely the two of them are when I see them.

"I am having a great time with her. I really love hanging out with her, and I hope that we can be able to keep something like this going on for several years. I feel like she is somebody really special, and I don't want to lose what we have right now." After Todd had said that to me, I was then nodding, hoping that this statement was going to stick for a long period of time, and that it would not be thrown away for any reason at all.

"Well, as long as nothing gets in your way, then I want you to go as long as you can." I said, and then after I had told him this, he was looking like he was so glad to know that the people in the house were not pushing him away from any acceptance just because of the fact that he was seeing Bebe or anything. I thought he was going to be super scared for this, but I decided that he was just being too worried over things that were not that big of a deal.

"I just think that when I am with her, there is more to my life than I have expected. I don't want to lose what I have here. If you know how much being around her makes me feel better about everything, then I think that you would be wanting to have somebody in your life one day who gives you that exact feeling." After he had said that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was finally saying something that was like the most important advice that he could be able to give somebody.

"Thanks for helping the house out with your new job." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was really glad that somebody finally said something about the job, and showed some appreciation for the fact that he had been going around and doing something out of his weekdays now, even when he had no desire to do so, for the sake

"I just try to do what I think is important. I want to make people see that I care. When I show them that I care, I show them how much I am going to be able to make them see that I want to make them feel happier. I want to make it so that way people in this family can be able to live at least a little bit better." After Todd had said that, he was then looking like he was just wanting to find more to say, but did not really feel the need to be doing such a thing now.

"See you when you go out on your date." I said, and then I saw him looking like he was ready to take that for what it was, and then with that, he was starting to go around, and he was ready to meet Claire, and see if in his opinion she was going to be a good friend to Lydia and stuff. I was feeling like she was going to be just fine, and that maybe Todd was too worried about this whole thing, but I decided that I would not say what I was thinking.

I was thinking that he was somebody that I could look up to. I was thinking that when I would try to live up to him, then I could finally see if I was going to be somebody who can truly make my siblings feel happier. But I guess that something like this was just going to be a real challenge, to pull off in a fashion that I felt like was really going to make the younger siblings feel better. I don't know. And I did not really care all that much. I just wanted to finally be like my older brother.

...

Dylan's POV -April 2 1993 5:58 am-: I was had gotten up, and I figured that I was just going to be using the bathroom, and that it was going to be a quick and easy trip there. Nothing too strange. But at the same time, I was just thinking that when I would get the trip over with, I would just go right down to bed, and then I would just be fine with this. I was just scared that there was something going on outside. But at the same time, I did not really think that it was going to actually make all that much of a difference what I had feared, since it was probably not going to really happen.

I went to the bathroom, and I went down right away to do my business, and after I was done with that, I went out, and I was looking around for a bit. Just thinking about how I was barely seeing anything at all. There was barely anybody or anything that was going to be out at this hour. I did not know if this was going to be a good thing or a bad thing. All I knew was that at least there was a good chance that my brothers were going to be safe for a while longer.

As I eventually was getting ready to go to bed, I was then seeing that Josiah was getting something from the fridge. Then he looked right at me, and he was looking like he was just getting something from it as a quick night snack or something. I did not really know if I got it too much, but then I said something to him. "Hey Josiah, are you going to be practicing for more band material?" I asked, and after I was saying that to him, I saw Josiah looking a bit shocked to see me up at this point. "I just needed to go to the bathroom. I was going to be going right down again."

"I was thinking about doing that later today. Maybe going on another hang out with Samantha, and maybe show her to some of my other friends. Then once they have met her for a while, I think that I might try to go on another date with her. It is going to be great." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like this was something that he really truly wanted more than anything else.

"I hope that you have fun. Maybe you can play me some tunes some time." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I saw him looking like he was willing to sort of give me something like this. Even if he was unsure of if he wanted to be going through with it, he felt like there was no reason not to. Even if I was much too young to fully understand what he was trying to understand. I mean, I had no idea what his lyrics were. I just really enjoyed the sounds that came out of the guitar, and how much he seemed to care about what he was singing on.

"I think that it will be great to show people her. I mean, I think that she is really good for everybody. I am worried that people might not be willing to admit that for some random reason. I don't know, maybe because she does not have the exact same style as I do. And that is something that people might not like. I don't know. But I just want to get people to see that she does have a talent here." After Josiah had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he had just wanted to find something else to say, but that there was going to be nothing else that I could really be able to understand, so that he might just need to let it go.

"I will like her. She sounds awesome. She sounds like she is perfect for you." I said, and then after I had told him that, I was meaning every word of what I had said, and I was not just saying that to make him feel better. I was hoping that he would see that I was being truthful here. And that when he would see that, he would be more flattered over something like this. That he would be flattered over the fact that I was actually treating her with a level of respect before I had even met her.

"I will remember that. If you don't hold up on it, I will remember that too. But seriously, thanks for trying to make me feel better. It always feels nice to know when there is somebody who is going to be at my side." After Josiah said that, he was walking to me, and he felt like he would give me a good night hug.

As he was doing that, I felt like there was no way in hell that I was going to be turning him down. There was no reason in the world for me to turn down a nice hug, when he was wanting me to feel like I had finally made a difference. But I was hoping that the others in the family would at least be willing to give her a chance. If he was able to like her and appreciate her, then there was no reason for them not to be thinking about what it was like to let it go.

"Next time I meet her, I might tell her that you like her at least. That might be something she would like to hear. It would probably make her feel like she is more accepted into this whole thing anyways. So thanks for letting her have something like this." After he had told me this, I seen him looking sincere about the huge amounts of relief that I had given him. Then with that, he was starting to head towards the edge of the kitchen.

"I hope that you have some good dreams the rest of the night. Don't want anything keeping you up any longer. Also hope you don't need any more bathroom visits." After he had said that to me, I was unsure of what to be telling him, but at the same time, I felt like he was just trying his best to be nice, and that this was all that he was going to be able to come with. But I thought that at least he was giving his best efforts, and that I needed to try and be more calm with him. Besides, it was not like he was being rude or anything like that.

"I will sleep good." I said, and I was honestly believing in what I had been saying. I truly did not believe that there was any reason to not be fine, and feeling good about what I was doing here. So with this, we were heading off to our own beds, and I was thinking that when I was alone, and I would be asleep, I would feel better. I hated the situation that I was always in. I wanted to be older, because with being older, everything would finally be given to me. Everything would finally go the way that I was wanting, and I would no longer have to deal with people getting in my business about not being old enough to play outside and stuff.

I went down, and I put the blanket over me. Then I was closing my eyes. I was over it. I knew that I just needed to not be annoyed too much at the people around me trying to treat me carefully. But that did not mean that I had to be liking it. In fact, I felt the exact opposite. I did not like it, and that was the only way that I could be able to describe it as. As I was going to sleep, I finally felt like everything was going to be fine and dandy. I just knew that as long as I had my siblings, there was not going to be anybody who would make any difference to me. I just needed to be grateful for what I was having here.

The dreams that I were having that night were relatively good. I mean, nothing like blowing the rest out of the water. But they were nothing awful. I mean, I did not really have any memories of this dream, so I felt like one way or another, it must not have been all that big of a deal. And sometimes, it is best to have things that were not that big of a deal, and it was just best to be able to take in the small moments that were being presented to you, when you can.

...

Drake's POV -April 2 1993 9:02 am-: I was getting up, and I was feeling like it might be early enough to get up to have something to eat, without having people get at my case for it being too early and stuff. Besides, I just felt like if I stayed in that bed any longer, I was going to be screaming. As I was getting out of my bed, I was hearing Lydia stir. Since she slept really close to us, and I was feeling like I just needed to see what I would do to make sure that she was not going to wake up. I wanted to make sure that she was not going to hear me get up, and get angry at me, for the sake of me not wanting to ruin what I was having here. But I guess that my opinion would not really matter all that much in the long run.

As I was getting up the stairs, I was seeing Lydia rubbing her eyes, and I was just thinking that as long as I was going up the stairs fast, then either she would not wake up, or if she did wake up, then it would not be seen as my fault, and nobody could be angry at me for doing something like this. As I was inside of the kitchen from the bottom floor, I was looking around, and seeing that the sun was fully up. And I was taking a deep breath, feeling like the prospect of going to school was going to be rough in a few years going from the absolute darkness of the lower floor, regardless of the time of year, to the sheering brightness of the upstairs.

I sat down on the couch, and I was seeing Seth in the living room as well. He was looking like he was just using the small table near the far left side of the living room writing something down. Like he was just wanting to really finish working on something. I of course wanted to know what the hell this was, and I was wanting to know if he was going to let me know what he was working on. So I stood up, and I felt like he would be more confused than annoyed when he was going to see me. Wondering why I was up at this time of day in the first place, when he wanted to get some time to do some work of his own.

"What are you working on?" I asked, and then Seth looked at me for a second, trying to find something to say. And despite the fact that he was clearly wanting to find something to say to make me feel like I could understand, I was seeing him looking more like something like this would be out of his ability. That he was going to never be able to get it explained in a way where I could be able to get it. But I wanted him to at least try.

"I was wanting to make some good jokes for the comedy show that plays this month. I have a couple of weeks to work on it, but I do not want to be brought down during the show. I want to have a chance to really sit down, and get to work on it. I hope that the comedy works out well enough. But to be honest, I think that there is just something that I am missing. Something that could be able to pull off the winning scheme of these shows." Seth said, and then after he had told me that, I was seeing him looking like there was no real way that he could be able explain to me what had worked on it so well.

"What worked last time?" I asked, and I was just thinking that this was the only way that I could be able to start to really bring it down. Seth was looking like he was just kind of lost on this whole thing. Like he was really close to finally getting what would be able to get him what he wanted, but he just did not know if he would be able to make it work.

"I started to work on some nice comedy work with my family. I was telling the people at the school some stories that happened with you guys, and I felt like something like this would be able to work out just perfectly. I just sort of really went at this, and I started to tell them everything that came to my mind, and it worked out. Even the guy who I thought was my rival thought that it worked out fine enough. The show was the only reason that I was able to work with this guy at all, and talk with him on any regard." After Seth had told me this, and I was feeling like I was going to try and find a way to help him here, since I was feeling like I was going to not be able to help him out in any regard. But I did not think that it was going to make any real difference.

"Just do what works. If it worked out so well the first time, it will work out now." I said, and then I was seeing Seth clearly looking like there was no way he would be able to explain his fears in a real way. But at the same time, there was something that was just keeping him from fully saying that he agreed with what I was meaning here.

"Thanks. I mean, I just hope that it is able to work a second time. And that the whole thing would not be losing its luster a second time around. That would totally ruin everything." After Seth had told me this, he was looking like he was willing to believe something like this happened. "I just really hope that I can find enough stuff to keep the show going on for a bit longer, and get people to not be annoyed with me over what I do." Seth then placed his hand on his head, as if this was his biggest crisis he was ever dealing with. Which I guess at his age, it probably was.

"Don't worry about it. Nobody is going to hate you for it. Your siblings support you." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him looking at me, as if really hoping deep down inside that I was telling the truth, and that I was not just saying something like this to make him feel better. But to me, it felt like it was the truth, and I wanted to find something to keep him thinking that he had a chance to work it all out.

"I just will have to really out some time in these next few weeks to determine what I am even going to be doing. I want to pull this off. I care about comedy more than anything else in the world. I just want to make people finally admit that I am funny, and that I can be able to show people that I want to make it all work." After he had told me this, I saw him looking like he was wanting to say more, but that he had made his point, and that I was just going to never be able to get it. Which I guess was probably the truth to some extent at least.

"I will let you be working on that now. Since it seems like you are really focused on that now." I said, and then after I had said that, I was going to be heading to bed. I was going to be going to just pretend like my waking up never happened. I wanted to pretend like I did not know what Seth was going through. But I felt like perhaps he did not know what he was going through either, but I did not know what was happening now.

I wanted Seth to be able to be happy, and I wanted him to feel excited, and like he did something right. But at the same time, I did not know how I was going to be able to accomplish something like this. I wanted to find a way to make him see that nobody hated him for what he was doing. But at the same time, I was thinking that perhaps he was just going to need to get somebody to work with him on this and then when I would do that, he would finally feel like he could be able to get a group of people to really help him move forward. He was going to have to find something that can give him a feeling of purpose, at the rate he was heading.

...

Levi's POV -April 3 1993 6:50 am-: As I was laying down in my bed, I was staring across the crib and looking at the other one with Ridge in it. At this point, it had felt like a eternity since he had shown up to this place. It felt like he had pretty much been there forever, and I decided to not be thinking about it too much anymore, since he was asleep, and I knew that if I bothered him, he would probably be screaming and stuff, and I would be considered a villain for getting up the youngest one.

I was seeing Henry getting up, and I knew that he was going to try and sneak a early morning movie like he really enjoyed doing. As I was seeing this, I had felt like it would be fun to join him and see what the movie he was watching would have been. But at the same time, I knew that if I dug too deep into this, then he might be showing up, and telling me off, and then be announced with the fact that I had made some noise. But at the same time, I just wanted to do something that wasn't being in this boring old crib, since this crib was the one place that felt like torture just being in for such a long period of time.

As I was seeing that he was watching what I was thinking was Friday the Thirteenth, he was just staring very intently at the television, as if thinking that what he was seeing was the most interesting thing in the world. I had no idea what was so interesting about watching people getting brutally murdered, but at the same time, I was thinking that it could have been due to my younger age, and that with my age, I would never get it.

He watched about half an hour or so of the film, just taking in every single moment that was being presented to him, when I was seeing that he was just looking like he was entranced at what he had been presented with. Eventually, it was looking like Jack was coming up stairs, and as he was getting up, he was looking right at Henry, as if thinking that what he had been doing was just strange, and that he would never get it at all. "Why do you like this movies?" Jack asked, and Henry waited until the next commercial break before he would take his chance to answer the question.

"Because they're exciting and fun. I enjoy watching them fight." Henry said, and then Jack was looking like no matter what was happening, he felt like he would never understand what his brother was liking. It was just strange to him, but he decided that he was not going to be saying anything about it, to respect what his brother was into, even if he did not understand it at all.

"I guess that I don't understand it. But if you are going to not be making a big deal out of it, then I guess that it is not really my business to be getting in your way about it." After Jack had said that, I was seeing him clearly looking like he had wanted to say something else to this. Henry was thinking about what he would be able to say now.

"I mean, you probably like things other people aren't interested in." After Henry said that, he was seeing Jack looking like he was wanting to fight his younger brother about this whole thing, but that deep down, he knew that such a thing could not be done. He knew that despite how much he did not like it, Jack was right about the fact that most people would not be interested in things like sports and stuff.

"I barely get people to play the games with me. It kind of sucks, I want to be able to have some fun and play with people that I like. I want to play with some of my friends, but there is nobody who really comes out and wants to hang with me at all. It kind of sucks." After Jack said that, he was looking right at Henry, as if wondering what the man was thinking here. If Henry had any thoughts on the matter, or if he did not care about this whole thing, and kind of regretted bringing it up.

"All you can do is ask. Some people might be wiling to play with you if you would just ask." Henry had said, and then he was thinking that this was a simple enough comment. He was looking at Jack, as if wondering what Jack would want to even say to that. I was just staring at the conversation, trying to process what was going on, and I was just sort of hearing the conversation, sort of letting the words flow, and trying to sort of get it in a way I could be able to follow.

"I don't know if it will be that easy. I mean, everybody is already doing something. Even if I asked, they would be just brushing me off, and telling me that other people could do it. I would not want them to do that to me. It would show me that they do not care." Jack said, and then after he had said that, he was wondering if Henry would be in any way interested in playing sports with him. He felt like it was a stretch, but that it would be better than nothing at all.

"I bet Lydia would play once or twice. Or Seth would be willing to play for his comedy sketches." Henry said, and Jack thought that the latter was actually kind of a good point. But at the same time, he was sort of feeling like he just needed to see how he would be able to convince Lydia or Seth to doing that. Even if those were easier, they were still going to require some effort to pull off.

"I don't know how they would be able to be convinced to play with me. They might tell me that they have no interest in such a thing, and tell me to go away. I don't want people to make fun of me." After he had said that, I was seeing Jack looking like he was really sad over this statement. It was probably the first time in my life, and obviously the first time in Ridge's twelve days, that Jack was actually flat out sad over something. And I had no idea what to be thinking about seeing my brother like this.

"Just tell them that you like to play with them, and tell them that you would not play with them for a super long period of time. If you tell them that it will be just a quick game, they might be willing to do that for you." Henry said, and then after he had said that to Jack, he was thinking that this was going to be the best he could to defuse the situation that he would never have thought he would have been put in. He did not think that Jack was going to be crying over this whole thing, or that he could really give so much of a damn.

"I can try. And I hope that it actually works." Jack said, looking at the television, and he was slowly watching some of the material that he had seen on the screen. He still did not get what was so interesting about this in his brothers eyes, but he decided that he would not try to get his brother to stop, since in all honesty, Henry was being inoffensive with this. He was just having some fun with this subject.

"Seriously, they were not going to throw the idea away. I mean, it is just a game or two. What's the worst that can come out of that?" He asked, feeling like he just needed to leave the subject alone, and then after he had said that, he had felt like there was no more need to think about it anymore.

"Thanks for trying to help me out. I hope that they are willing to play with me. I sometimes just want to have somebody play with me." After Jack had said that, he was thinking that there was no need to continue with this, feeling like he had made his point clear enough. The two of them were looking like they had no real idea of what to be talking about next, since they had seemingly talked about any subject that could have come off as any interest to them, and that this was just going to make no real difference.

...

Ridge's POV -April 3 1993 11:22 am-: I was seeing Gabe in the living room, and he was holding Levi as he was doing so. When he was holding Levi, that was when Todd was coming out of his room, and he was wearing a dark blue shirt that I had never seen him wear before. "Are you heading off to work right now?" Gabe asked, and then Todd shook his head, and he was just scratching his hair, as if thinking that there was no real need to block away from the question that was asked.

"I only work on the week days. I don't work today or tomorrow. I am going to use this as a chance to go out and have a fully undivided date with Bebe tonight. What are you planning on doing today? Did you get that job that you applied for?" After he had asked Gabe that, there was still a small part of him that could not believe that Gabe was applying for one as well. Not because it was right after Todd did it. It was just him working in the first place.

"Yeah I did. I did not think it was going to work so easily. I start next week, since the guy working there said that he might as well give me one final week of freedom before I have to start working every day. I work from four to ten every week day as well. He also is letting me have the weekends off." After Gabe had said that, that was when Todd thought about it for a moment, hoping that he could get his boss to give into the idea of this.

"I am going to try to increase my hours with my boss soon. Maybe do six or eight hour days. I mean, even if I get off at eight, I would still have a few hours to kick around with you guys, or friends, or with Bebe." Todd said, and then Gabe looked right at him, as if curious about a certain point that Todd had brought up. Even if it was just for a second or two. And probably was not even really putting any real emphasis on this.

"When was the last time that you hung out with your friends anyways? I mean, now that you're working, you might be having a hard time doing such a thing." After Gabe had said that to Todd, he was actually kind of worried about how his brother was actually handling this situation. Since it was going to be a lot of time to really change things around for himself.

"My friends and I plan to do a hang out every Friday or something. Since that is a time we all have off. Like going to their house and playing some games, or something of the caliber. Then I think probably every Saturday, as long as she is fine with it, maybe Bebe and I can go on a date. You two might get to know each other, due to working at a pizza shop now together." After Todd said that, Gabe was unsure of what to be saying to this comment.

"I don't know how to feel about that. I am glad that you are able to be able to go out and hang out with some people though. Will give you some time to have some sanity over time." Gabe had said, and then he was wondering what his only older brother was going to say to this whole thing. Todd looked like there was not much else that he could need to say now.

"I just do what I can to enjoy the time I have left here. And Sundays I will usually just let fate sort of determine what I am going to be doing that day. I mean, in all honesty, I don't think that there is going to be some random thing that happens to make my life so much worse on Sunday. But I guess it does not matter too much. I will just try not to get fired at least. That is really the best that I can do when I work there. Is to last as long as possible, and maybe over time, save up enough to finally be able to leave this house. You know, since that is something that would be great for you guys." Todd said, and then Gabe was unsure of what he was going to want to say. Even though he knew deep down, there was a good point here.

"I mean, I think we both need to leave soon enough. There is no real reason to stay here and force our parents to pay for us when we were old enough to just do this. I think these first several months working out something here is the only thing that we really can be able to do to actually provide a fund for our parents." Gabe said, and he was scared for the fact that realistically, he was going to have to leave the house one day.

"I think that when our younger siblings are slowly watching us move out one by one, then there is going to be a chance that they could be more happy." Todd told Gabe, and there was something else that bothered him a bit. "Although I will say that if something really is going on here, in this town, then we might need to look into what that fucking is, and then try to see what we can do to help our siblings out as well."

Gabe looked right up at him, a if shocked to hear that Todd was at least saying that something like this could be happening, rather than just resoundingly shooting it down the moment that it would be brought up. "Do you now believe that something is happening?" After Gabe had asked this question to him, that was when Todd was slowly shaking his head, as if thinking that this was still pushing it a bit too far.

"I don't really think that there is something going on here. But I would be wrong if I said that there is absolutely no chance for something like this could be happening. I mean, something could always be happening, and I think that I need to just accept that fact sooner or later. Even if it is rough for me to admit." After Todd had said that to Gabe, there was not much more that he was wanting to even openly admit that could be coming on here.

"I guess that there is still going to be that shred of doubt that people are always going to be having, no matter what the case is." Gabe said, and then he was just laying his head back on the couch, wanting to spend most of this week just relaxing, and not forcing himself to do anything when he was tired and still mildly in pain over what had happened.

"Do you think that you are going to be hanging out with your friends on a regular basis still? Since you asked me what was going on too." After Todd said that to Gabe, he was wondering what was actually going to keep him together at this rate. But he was feeling like Gabe was going to find some great way to make it sound like this was totally fine and stuff.

"I can always see them during school, and they could walk to the location with me every day after school, and that could probably be about fifteen to twenty minutes. There is the weekend, and I can always work something out during those days. I am not too worried about something like this too much." After Gabe had said that, he was still not sure of what Todd would be telling him now. He was wondering is Todd was going to have some great level of advice for this.

"I hope that you can enjoy yourself at least. I am just worried that this is going to be making you feel like you lost everything good in your personal time." Todd said, showing some mild concern for him, but at the same time, he was unsure of why he was so worried about such a thing in the first place. Considering the fact that Gabe was old enough to probably need to get jobs and stuff.

So with that, Todd was then looking at the window. "Well, I should be heaving out now. I will see what I can do now. But you know, I think that things are going to be fine. I am not too worried about this right now." After Todd had said that, he was walking out of the house, and he was going to his car, and then he was driving off, planning on seeing Bebe and making her the happiest woman in the world. Or at least trying to make her the happiest woman in the world, as much as he could in the circumstance.

...

Todd's POV -April 3 1993 5:04 pm-: I was knocking on the door to where Bebe lived, and after a few seconds, that was when she had answered the door, and she was looking right at me. She was clearly a bit impressed that I was wearing something that was probably my most fancy attire just for the sake of hanging out with her. "Hey, I was wondering how you were today?" I asked, hoping that I could be able to get her to answer me in a honest light. "I mean, if you are too busy or something, then I can always just head out and let you be doing your own thing." I was saying, feeling like there was a good chance that this was a problem if I did not respect her space the way that a person would like.

"It's fine." After Bebe let me inside of the house, I was seeing her looking at me, just wanting to ask me something very important. I was scared for a few seconds, after she had looked at me like this, that she was going to be breaking up with me or something. Which I did not want her to do, considering how much I was getting to enjoy her.

"Are you able to see your friends lately? I mean, I would like to meet them. See if they are cool or not. But I mean, I just feel like it would be very important to finally meet them." After she had said that, I was then holding my hands together, and I was unsure of what I was going to be telling her. I mean, on one hand this was not a beak up, and I was kind of glad for that, but at the same time, I was wanting to sort of have her not low key accuse me of being obsessed with her and stuff.

"I mean, I was telling one of my siblings that I hang out with them usually in Friday when I get out of work. I mean, if you want to meet them at some point, then I think that I could be able to make something like this work." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing that Bebe was looking like she was glad that I was finally suggesting something like this to her.

"I mean, you never really talk about them all that much." After she had said that to me, I was feeling like I could be able to describe some of them to her if she really wanted me to do. If she really cared that much about my friend group, which I would not really be able to understand, but since we were seeing each other, I could finally be able to see that there was some form of communication that I could start to work better on.

"I have a few friends. One of them is named Winston, and then there is Danny, Cole, and Beck." I said, and then I was just looking at her, wondering what she would want to be saying to me. She was thinking that there was more that she could say, but felt like there was no point in this whole situation. But I was feeling like this whole thing was just getting too much to handle. "I mean, I have a couple of female friends. But they are sort of like friends of friends that I am able to talk with when we see them. I think that they like me enough." I did not really think that any of this actually mattered too much.

"Maybe we can hang out with each other for a bit, I think next week, when you are done with work on Friday, we can work something out. Maybe we can have something like a party." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was actually really enjoying this idea. But I truly had no idea if this was something that I could be able to pull off, or if it was something that I would have wished to accomplish.

"I think that they will really enjoy seeing you. I mean, I have talked about you a bit, and I think that they are just going to want to know that you live up to that hype." I said, and then after I was finished telling her this, I was seeing her looking like she was wiling to give this a chance, and see if this whole thing could actually work out. She was wanting to finally see if the two of us were going to be able to actually impress our friends. Or if such a thing was just ridiculous to imagine.

"I bet that everything is all good. Anyways, so I was wondering if you were going to be ready for a date soon enough. Since we have a lot of time to kill, and we might as well just find something right away." After she had said that, I was nodding, feeling like this was going to be good. So with that, we walked out of the house, and she kissed me on the cheek.

As we were getting to my car, I was finally feeling like I just was able to finally explain to her my perspective, and not be getting her on my case about being a guy who was too stuck with her or anything like that. So I opened her passenger seat and she was starting to go inside. As I was letting her inside of the car and closed the door, I was then looking around, and seeing a car parking near where Bebe's house was.

As saw the car, and I was seeing that there was a person wearing a black suit looking right at me, and I was seeing him literally talking to a walkie talkie, I was aware of something that I never wanted to admit. That there was a group of people who were at least mildly interested in what we were doing, and took out of their way to make sure that nothing was going to go down because of us. I was gulping a bit, feeling like maybe I needed to just keep my mind at the matter at hand, as I was going right inside of the car, feeling like the calm and quiet was going to be enough to keep me better.

I was then shaking my head, and was trying to keep my rage composed, but something like this was going to be very hard to do in all honesty. "We just need to get out of here. I don't want to waste my time here." I said, and then after I had said that to her I was seeing Bebe looking like she had no idea what was going on, and she was having no desire with arguing me on this. She knew that if she did, then she was just going to be getting me pissed, and she felt like such a thing was just not going to be worth it.

"Todd, what is going on right now?" She asked me, and I was starting to drive off, and as I was driving further and further away, the less that I was scared, and more just worried for Bebe. I was telling myself that as long as I was calm about this, I would not be making any real issues here.

"I just thought that I saw some of the people that Gabe was telling me about earlier. But it will all be fine. I will not be too worried about it if I were you." I said, and I was truly meaning what I was telling her. I did not want her to worry about it, since that was the thing that I wanted the least in the entire world. I was just telling myself to keep calm and collected when I was dealing with the sight of them once more.

"Let's just enjoy the night out right now." I said, and I was feeling totally ready for this whole thing, and I was going to make this work very well. I was going to finally get the people to see that I was wanting to just have a good moment here. I was seeing Bebe finally looking like when she was seeing me feel better, that she was not going to be too worried about me here.

Eventually, I parked my car, and I got out of it, with her at my side, and we went into the fucking store where I was going to blow this whole thing out of the water, no matter what I was going to be worried about at the back of my mind. But despite what was going on, I was thinking that this date was all that I really needed to finally feel like my life was getting better mostly.

...

Gabe's POV -April 41993 3:44 am-: I was finally getting ready to be going to bed for once, and I felt like there was no real reason for me to waste any time on this, but as I was going to bed for once, I was then seeing Todd looking at me on his bed. He looked like he had been having a really rough time lately. He had been home for about an hour and a half, and the entire time that he was home, I was seeing him just wanting to say something, but not actually doing it. I was wanting him to just get it over with, and tell me what the problem really was.

"I will not judge you. I just need to know what is going on with you, that way I can know how I will be able to help you out here." I said, and then after I had told him this, he was looking at me, and he was feeling like he might as well just tell me the truth, since he was feeling like he was going to have to talk about it anyways one way or another.

"There is no point in hiding this anymore. Even if I don't really want to talk about it. So anyways, what had happened was that I was going on a date with Bebe, and I was telling her about some of my friends. And after we had our date, and things were going fine, I was feeling like the people who I thought were following us had not really been this whole time. But the guy was seriously travelling around us this whole time. I got out of the place Bebe and I had our date at, and I was seeing his own car at the parking lot, and he was reading something to make it look like he was focused on something else. But I knew what this whole situation really was." After Todd said that to me, he looked at me very worried. "I was really enjoying this date, and we talked about several things that we were interested in. It was a great date, and I was planning on showing her to some of my friends."

"What happened when you realized what was happening with that guy this whole time? Did you try to tell Bebe what was going on, or did you lie to her? I mean, I guess either turn out might have been a really bad one." I said, and then after I had told him this, I saw him looking like he was just really broken about this whole thing. Like he knew that either way, this was going to be one of the worst solutions that he could have gone through. But he nodded, and decided to just give me the final answer here.

"I told her that I wanted to just let her meet one or two of my friends right away, and that we could do that, if she was fine with it. After I suggested that to her, she seemed to be excited for the fact that I had finally opened up to this idea, and decided that she would let me drive the way over, and then I led her to where Beck lived, since he was the one that had lived the closest to where we had our date. Bebe in the car before we went in asked me a very important question. One that I had hoped she would not ask me, but one that I had felt like was going to be unavoidable." Todd sighed, feeling like he was just sort of going through the worst experience in his entire life.

"She asked me if there was something going on with that car again, and I was wanting to lie to her. I wanted to lie to her so badly, to make her safe. But I decided that I would not do such a thing, and that I would just tell her that I think it was quite possible that car was there. I wanted to tell her that the car was not there, but I could not lie. So I decided to just not tell her the full truth. Once I had said that, she said that she wished that we could just not focus on such a petty thing. I decided to let the situation go, for her own sake." After Todd told me this, I saw him looking like this was the hardest battle that he had been feeling now.

"I just decided to show her the guy, and we were talking for a couple of hours with him, and we were getting to the point where I had almost forgotten all about what had happened. I truly thought that as long as I did not think about it too much, then nothing would happened. And it was like that. Once we were done hanging out at Beck's place, I finally felt like everything was behind me. I truly felt like I was going to be fine with this." After he had told me this, I was then thinking about what I was going to be saying to him, but I felt like I needed to say something that would make him feel better and not anything like I told you so.

"I want to find something to be able to keep Bebe safe here. I want to do something that can keep her safe as long as possible. And I don't want to break up with her. But as much as I hate something like this, I have a feeling that breaking up with her is the only way. But I want to do anything that could not involve something like this." After Todd had said that, I was going to say something, but he cut me off. "Now I don't believe in your theories about some big gang or whatever. But I do have to admit that I think that there is something against this family, for some reason, one way or another."

I was then looking down on the ground. Feeling like if I wanted to say something to him to make him feel better, it was just not going to be working at all. "I have no clue how you can be able to keep Bebe safe. I know that you care about her a bit. I know that she is somebody that you are very invested in. I need to try and make this work. I have no idea though how well this is going to be pulled off though." I said, and then after I had said that to Todd, he was looking like he was just feeling totally helpless on this whole situation.

"I wish that I could be able to feel comfortable about this right now. I just feel like no matter how much I try to feel better about what is going on around me, there is going to be something that is going to throw me off to this whole thing." After he told me this, I saw Todd standing up, and then I was thinking that there was just nothing that can be done about what he was fearing here. "To be honest, I want to do something, anything to make sure that this does not get any worse. But I want to know if you can be able to keep this together."

"I just think that maybe you can speak to her about some of your fears, and if you do that, she might be able to listen to you. She might take your comments seriously, and when you tell her that you are not messing around, then she could be able to see how she will be able to make something work with you." I said, and then after I had told him this, he was looking like he wanted to say something to this. But he was over the uncertainty to this, and he wanted to just find a answer for once now.

"I will talk to her about it next time we see each other. Maybe just for a couple of minutes. Maybe not during a date, but like after it I think would work." After Todd had said that to me, I was seeing him shrug at this statement. "I just think that when I see her and tell her this, then she might be feeling better about the communication that we are sharing here." Once we were finding something of a agreement here, I was thinking that we were actually openly communicating for the first time in a while. But I knew that he was not a huge fan of me, and did not think highly of me for some reason. But I think that maybe he just wanted to know what I thought on this since he knew I had a better set of knowledge of this than anybody else.

...

Josiah's POV -April 4 1993 5:52 am-: I was trying to understand the conversation that Todd and Gabe had just had and I was hearing a large part of it. I realized that they feared that there was something happening here. And there was nothing that I could fucking do about it. And that was something that was making me feel very useless. The fact that they had felt like something was happening, and that I could just sitting behind, not doing anything, while my older brothers were scared out of their mind about this. Even to the point where Todd was fearing what would happened to his girlfriend.

I had no idea what to fucking do right now, and all that I did know was that there was something that I would need to do to try and make my brothers feel like there was something there to support them. Besides, if this was going to effect Bebe, then there was a chance that this was going to affect Samantha and maybe even Lydia. I did not know what this whole thing was. All that I did know was that I just needed to be prepared for what I was going to be set forward towards.

I was having a hard time being able to sleep, and I was getting out of my bed, feeling like when I was going to be awake, I would just try and ask them what was going on with Bebe, and then hopefully they would be willing to just have the fucking balls to tell me the truth, and not hide what was happening here.

Once I was out of the room, I was then thinking about what would happen if none of this was a hoax, then I was just going to really need to understand what the hell I am even sort of setting myself up for. But then after I was telling myself all of this, and sort of whining about it to myself, I found myself sort of being able to get over this entire thing, and that I was looking right at the room that my two older brothers were in.

Eventually, I was thinking about trying to approach them, and then I was seeing that they were still asleep. I was then looking out the window, finally feeling like if something were to be happening, then I was going to have to find a way to let Samantha know about what was bothering me, that way I could be able to have a chance to sort of warn her. I was also thinking about how I would be able to find a way to go around town and work on this if it were more of a isolated case, and not with females in general, or was with males too and not just them. I did not really know what I was going to be ready for, but in all honesty, I was barely finding myself even knowing what I was going to be saying now.

After I had started to feel like this was what I had needed more than anything else, I was then going to the exit of the house, and I was thinking that regardless of how annoyed she would be with this, she would finally start to work with me, and she would finally think that I was not being a total idiot at everything that I was doing now. When I was going to meet her, she was going to probably tell me that I was being silly, and in a way, she might be right, but I did not care.

I was going towards her house slowly, feeling like I was a fucking idiot for not having my guitar with me. I wanted the guitar to play with other people as much as possible. Guitars were the only thing that I really wanted to play at, and it was the main thing that was giving me any form of a passion, any form of a goal in life. Being good at the instrument. And when I was playing this so much, I was thinking about the fact that this was literally the only reason that I would know some people. Such as Samantha for instance. This instrument is the only reason that I would have ever talked with her in the first place, and if something were to happen to her, and I knew of it, then in a way, the instrument would have been the only reason that I would have cared about what had happened to her.

I just had no idea what I was even going to accomplish out of this. I was thinking that there was something that I was doing wrong, when in all reality, I knew that I was not making a huge mistake here. I had made at worst a couple of blunders when talking with her, but I never treated her wrong, and I think that if something were to come along, I would start to be more prepared than the others, and I would actually be the hero of the story as a result of something like this happening.

I had no idea what the hell was going on in my mind, but at the same time, I almost just could not care. I was going to keep her safe, and that was all that I wanted to do here. I was going to contribute my part to this by keeping her safe, and when I would keep her safe, then I would finally be useful for at least one damn thing in this world. If that was something that I was needing to worry about at my age. But I think you know the point I am making here.

I eventually reached her house, and then after I did this, I waited for a bit, and then Samantha was answering the door. She had looked at me, as if confused as well as annoyed with the fact that I had come here at this time in the morning to check up on her, and that she had wished that I had done this several hours later. "Hey, I was just wanting to make sure that you were fine right now." I said, and then after I had told her this, she was looking at me, as if more just unsure of what to tell me than annoyed.

"What would be happening to me right now to make me not alright?" She asked me, and then I was just unsure of how I would even be able to explain to her what was even going to happen, and what I was fearing was happening. Although in all honesty, I was still unsure of what I could even say, since I guess that pretty much just none of this even made any sense.

"I just have a feeling that something is going to be going down soon. I mean, I think that I need to find a way to make sure that nothing happens to make you subject to what is going on. I mean, think about all the people who are going missing, as well as some of the connected stories behind them all." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was truly unsure of what to be telling me. She was thinking that maybe I was finally going a little bit insane.

"There is nothing happening. Please don't worry about me like that. I mean, that's just a little bit random for you to suddenly be so worried about. Besides, I think that there is no real reason why I would be stupid enough to let anything happen to me." After she had told me this, I saw her looking like she would not be able to understand what my fears were coming from.

"I just have a feeling that something could be able to happen. I mean, yeah I know that something could not happen, and that there is a chance that I am too worried about this whole thing. But at the same time, I am just not sure what to be saying. I think that I just need to be ready for something to happen one way or another. Please, just take my stuff seriously." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was seeing her looking like she was just unsure of what to be saying. She was clearly thinking that she needed to take a moment to think this whole thing out. But with the look on my face, she decided that maybe she needed to give me a chance to show my side of the argument and not brush me off right away.

...

Seth's POV -April 5 1993 2:34 am-: I felt like everything that was going on was simply too much for me to ignore now, and I was tired of everybody just brushing me off because I was only eleven, and I was still age wise closer to some of the more younger ones. I was still directly connected with the oldest four, and I should have been able to know how to be ready for what was going on right now, since this was directly effecting my own life.

I was wanting to sleep that night, but at the same time, I felt like this whole thing was just working against my favor this whole time. I was then getting out of my room, and I was looking at the night sky from the window that was near by. I knew that people were going to be hating me for this choice, but I was feeling like I needed to perhaps just go on my way over to where Manny had lived. This time not for cheesy hang outs, but this time to try and figure something out. I mean, I knew that I went back to school today, but at the same time, I was really finding myself not giving a fuck about that anymore. I did not care about my time in going back to school. I felt like knowing what was bothering my older siblings so much was so much more important than a fucking school schedule. Besides, I mean, there were only a couple of months left in the year, and it was not like it was going to be all that big of a deal if I flaked out on one single day in my entire life. So I was telling myself that I was just going to have to be more focused on just doing what I felt like was right.

I was going to the door to get to the outside of the house, and I was feeling like when I would be doing this, then everything would finally come together. I was just then thinking that the people who would know what I was doing would just be thinking that I had gone too far with this. Besides, I was thinking that the worst that could come out of this was just getting yelled at by my parents, and probably getting grounded for a week or two, which would not even really be all that big of a deal. I would be sort of over it after a while.

As I was placing my hand on the door, I was hearing a voice calling out to me. "Hey Seth, I know what you are planning, and I would understand why you would want to be doing this. But please, don't follow my foot steps. Don't go down the path that I went down. It will hurt you, and I would really not want that to happen to you. There are so many other things that you can do." I heard the voice say, and I turned right around to see Gabe, and he was looking really sad at the fact that he was having to have this discussion with me. The fact that I was actually going to try and go out and do this when I was only eleven.

"Well, I just want to finally know what is bothering you guys so much. I mean, after all that you have been through, I feel like I need to just finally understand what is actually so much of a problem to this." I said, and then after I had said that to the guy, I was seeing Gabe looking like he just had no real way to respond to what I was saying, since he had no idea how he was going to be able to get me to listen to him on this issue.

"I know that you might not want to be able to understand where I am coming from here. But the fact is that you need to just let the older people do this. I mean, even I have no idea how to handle this, and if I am having a hard time handling this whole thing, then how the fuck are you going to be able to? I just want you to be realistic on this whole thing." After he had said that to me, I was looking down at the ground, and I was thinking that maybe there was a good point to what he had been saying. Even if it was one that I wanted to never even consider.

"I don't want you to think that I am doing something that I can't handle. But I can't be sitting around here, letting everything happen, and just not knowing what to do. I mean, I feel like I just need to know what the answer is. Would that be so awful?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this, I was looking at him, wondering what he would want to even say to that. I felt like when I was seeing him like this, I would finally be able to understand what was bothering him to this.

"There is something that is probably going to happen soon, and I am scared for you. You know, since you are talking like this. I just wish that you were able to wait it out, and see what we were able to handle first. Do you think that you can be able to do that?" After Gabe had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like this was the one thing in the world that he was really just pleading. And I knew that I could not let him down, no matter how much it had been bothering me this entire time. But I just really did not have any idea what to say now.

"Fine, if you really feel this strongly about the matter, then I guess that I will try to work on this. I mean, I just wish that you guys could trust me on this." I said, and then I was feeling really let down for the first time. As if what I was saying was going to be enough for them to actually listen to me. I did not know if this was going to make a change, but I was just needing to him to see where I was coming from, and see what I was meaning now. But seeing his expression was just one that was really making me feel unsure of I should even react to his statement.

"When you are older, nobody will feel bad about letting you know more of what is going on. Just wait a few years, when I feel like you can be ready for such a thing, and then maybe I will feel like I could be able to trust you enough to actually get what is happening here." After Gabe had said that, I was wondering if he would hold true to what he is saying, or if he was going to find a way to flake out on me once again, which was going to really piss me off if he was going to do such a thing.

"Please hold to that end of the deal. I like to know the truth. I like to finally know what I am setting myself up for. Please, just don't hold back on letting me know when the time comes. I feel like when I finally know the truth, I will be able to find a way to get this together. I feel like that is all that I need." I said, and then I was letting go from the door nob, feeling like he had managed to get me to step down for the time being, regardless of if I had liked it or not. Feeling like this was all that I could be able to do to make him feel better on the matter.

"I know you do not understand it now, but this is for the better. This is something that you really need to do. I just want to make sure that you are ready for this. I just hope that you do not regret what we are doing in the future." After he had told me that, he was looking at me, as if wondering what I would say to this statement. But in the end, I was feeling like I was just going to have to wait until I was older, and then after that, I would force him to let me know.

"I just want to know the truth. I feel lost without the truth being explained." I said that final thing until I went into my bedroom, feeling like I was just going to need to go to bed to wrap my mind around what is bothering me here. I was going to talk about it at school, but I would not dare go beyond that, in order to not piss anybody off.

...

Jack's POV -April 5 1993 5:12 am-: I woke up, and I was feeling like I had heard something going on in the house. I had no idea what this was, and I felt like I needed to finally just get this over with. I was standing up, and I was thinking that I would check this out, get about an hour or two extra of sleep before school, and then be one with this whole thing. I really did not want to be going to school, but I knew that if I tried to get myself away from this, my parents were going to just think that I was being a bit of a coward and stuff. Well, not coward, but a trouble maker who did not understand the value of going to school and stuff.

So as I was heading out of the room, and I was going up the stairs, and I was thinking that the best thing to do was just to get this whole fucking thing over with. I was thinking that perhaps when I would finally see what was going on here, I could be able to talk with my school friends about what was going on, and we could laugh it off, and just pretend like this never really was all that big of a deal. Then with that, I was out of the basement room and was now in the kitchen.

Once I was in the kitchen, I was looking at the window that was at the other side of it, and I took the few steps to see what was going on there. When I saw the window, I was seeing a couple of people walking down a pathway to go to the forest. This whole thing was a bit strange to me, but at the same time, I knew that people were allowed to hang out at the forest. It was the fact that one of them was carrying something like a brief case. I did not really understand what they were going to be doing in there. Since you know, that's just a bit odd. But I was thinking that maybe if I watched calmly enough, I would know what was to come.

Eventually, I was just telling myself that if I stared for too much longer, I was going to get people scared for what I was doing, as if me simply watching a couple of people was really going to be all that big of a deal. But I did not think that this was even something too awful. All I was doing was just simply watching some people walk around, probably just getting ready for a deal that they were making. Even if it was making no fucking sense that they were doing one inside of a forest. Even to my nine year old self, this was making absolutely no sense at all.

I was wanting to go after, and follow them to see what was going on. But at the same time, I knew that such a thing was going to be a terrible idea. Like doing this was going to actually only make things even worse than they already had been so far. I was just thinking that when I was going there, as much as I hated to admit it, there was a good chance that I was going to be getting myself killed, and I knew for a fact that no matter what, I did not want to get killed over something as simple as this shit. But I felt like if I played some sports or something, then perhaps I could be able to get a bit tired and that can be able to help give me another hour or two of sleep when I was finally done with this whole thing. I mean, I had no idea what to feel here, but I guess that it really was not actually that big of a deal.

I was seeing the sun kind of starting to show up, and I realized that this was now at that time of year where the sun was going to more and more brutally rise early. I hated the prospect of this whole thing, but I guess that with every single year that passed, this would be less and less of a big deal, and that it really did not matter too much. It was the price I had to pay to have the sun set later, and it was a price that I was going to have to live with, for better or for worse.

As I was going outside of the house, I was seeing a football right under me. I was starting to kick it, and I was just thinking that I could get a few minutes out of this. Just kicking it around, and spinning it through the yard and stuff was just keeping my mind busy, and sort of bringing me out of the thought process of what my family was always doing around me, and it was bothering me less and less than I thought that it was going to.

Cars were passing by, and I was just not caring. I was just wanting to enjoy the moment of bliss quiet and just see how much I would be able to exercise before I was tired. And the entire time that this was happening, I was thinking that there was a good chance that my older brothers were going to wake up, and make fun of me, just for simply trying to have fun. But the more that I was doing this, the less that I was caring about the fact that they might see me like this. I could not give a fuck what people were going to think of me playing around, and actually trying to have a good time for once.

Eventually, I had gotten tired, and decided that maybe I needed to try and get my final hour or two of sleep, just to feel like this was what I really needed at this moment. I was feeling like being at school again was going to be a nightmare, but at the same time, I wanted to just do it and get it all over with. I did not really want my friends to think that I hated going to school with them. But I was thinking they were just going to ask me what was all the problems, and then when they would ask me, I would just brush them off.

I was laying down on my bed, and I was thinking that as long as I was asleep, nothing could happen to me. And if for some reason, something were to happen, and I died in my sleep, I would be able to say that at least I did not have to deal with dying a terrible cause or anything like that. At least it would be over with relatively quick.

I was then looking across the room, and I was seeing Henry asleep. I felt like when he was asleep, that was the one time of the day where he was sort of innocent, and he was not making any horrific scenes in his mind. I mean, I did not really mind that he was watching all of those movies. That was his choice. I was just scared that he was going to let his imagination get in the way of how he was imagining himself as a person. I was thinking that perhaps I just needed to relax, and that when he was older, his imagination would be getting to a point where it was more manageable, and that it was really not going to be too big of a deal.

I was thinking that there was no way that his personality right now was going to be affecting him for the rest of his life. I felt like there was going to be a point in time, sooner or later, where he would actually be normal, and that this was all that he needed here. And I was thinking that if it got really bad, our parents could always be able to tell him to step down, and just take things normally, and not be a weirdo for lack of a better term.

I closed my eyes, and I was just going to wipe this whole thing off of my mind, and then things could actually start to feel normal again. I did not know how something like this was possible. But at the same time, I was not caring. I was going to be a guy who would really enjoy going to school, and when I was done with this, then school could finally make me feel like I could be a normal man once again, and I would just act like it was actually not even a huge issue. I just wished that my friends were going to want to a actually go with some of my ideas in the long run.

...

Lydia's POV -April 5 1993 2:36 pm-: I was getting out of the class room that I just currently had my most recent lesson in, and when I was out of the class room, I was seeing Claire coming right to me. She was looking like she was actually kind of excited for what was going to be happening now. "So Lydia, do you want to go and hang out today after school or something?" After she asked me this, I was so happy, and I wanted to do it so badly. I just wished that maybe her parents were not going to have any problems with this idea, since I was really enjoying hanging out with her on a regular basis. "I mean, I told my parents about me coming over maybe once or twice a week after school, and my mom seems to be fine with that idea."

If she had said that to me, then I felt like there was no reason to be against that idea, so I was feeling like it was something that I might as well go with. "Yeah, I don't know what my family is going to be doing though. So I would not really expect something too fun or anything." I said, and then I was thinking that if I could say that, she would not be feeling a huge amount of disappointment when she would be showing up, and virtually nothing would be going on here.

"Well, your brothers are off doing their own fun thing. Please don't worry about that. It is just fun to hang out with a cool friend after school." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that this was going to work out well after all. So with that, I was thinking about various conversations that we could have to pass time at school. "So Lydia, what have your brothers been up to anyways? I mean, I know all about you, but not them."

"Well, Todd seems to really be dedicated to that relationship that he has with Bebe right now. Plus there is my brother Gabe, who is finally at his new job, and is going to start working next Monday. I don't really know if he is going to be hanging around too much during the day anymore. I am not so sure about the rest. Seth goes out and hangs out with people all the time that I barely even see him anymore." I said, and while his activity with his friends did not bother me, I was finding myself sort of wishing that he would be able to talk to me every once in a while. Just to make me feel like we could have some form of a connection here.

"Todd seems like a great man, and a real charmer." Claire said, and I was able to tell from the way that Seth had tones when he was making jokes versus tones people use when they are being serious, that Claire was actually not joking around. I knew that she was thinking that Todd was some real great man and somebody that had really made her seem a lot happier. Like she was hoping that if she had a boyfriend, he would be acting a lot like Todd.

"Well, I hope that he will like hanging out with you one day." I said, telling myself that this is the beat that I would be able to promise for her. I was hoping that she was not going to be let down if he was not going to exactly go out of his way to be her prince charming. "I bet that he will like you enough over time. Just give him some time to get used to you, and he will love you enough." I said, and I was thinking to myself that maybe 'love' might have been a bit of a strong word, but that this was a statement that could make her feel better, and not so lost about liking him.

"Well, not like it matters. What type of fun events do you think that we could be doing today after school?" She asked me, and then I was thinking about that. I did not really know what I can say, since I had no real ideas of things that we could be able to do. Besides, I was unsure of anything that she would even like to do. I just needed to know better on more of what I can do to make her actually think that this was worth it.

"I think that maybe we can watch Josiah play some guitar. Or play some of the Todd and Gabes older games. Considering the fact that they still have some systems there and stuff. Besides, I am not too sure of what there is at my house. I don't know how good you are at any of that." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was going to be fine with such a idea, even if she was not much of a gamer or anything, she was willing to do it for the sake of our hang outs.

"I would not mind giving it a try at least. Seeing what is available." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that maybe we were going to have some plans for the day now. I was thinking that maybe she could be able to enjoy it over time, once she was really getting into the mindset of it. "I just hope that your brothers will be fine with such a idea." After she had said that to me, I was then looking down, as if thinking that maybe I was going to have to try and see how something like this can work.

"That's awesome. I was worried that you were not going to be interested in any of that stuff. I am glad to know that you are willing to go on and try things out." I said, and then after I had said that, I was just telling myself that we were going to really enjoy our time here. I did not care though, and I was going to finally feel like I had a friend who was going to be making me feel better about things now.

"So do you think that we could be able to get them to all hang out with us if we wanted to? I would think that this could be a lot of fun." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that maybe such a thing was going to be hard to accomplish, or even fucking impossible. I was thinking that she deserved the right to have something like this, but I did not think that such a thing was really going to be possible.

"I think that they might come in for a couple of moments here and there. But I doubt that any of them are really going to want to stick around for a long period of time. I think that they are going to just want to hang out with their own friends." I said, and then I was thinking about what it would be like if they were really coming with us. If they had done such a thing, then it would have been a lot of fun. But at the same time, I was just trying to be realistic on this whole thing. And that meant that maybe I was going to have to let Claire down just a little bit.

As I was thinking about that, I was thinking about what I could be able to do to have some fun with her. "Hey Claire, do you think that your house has any fun things available?" I asked, and then after I was seeing her looking like she had no idea if such a thing was even possible. I was thinking that she was going to just tell me off, and act like this was a giant expectation that I had been giving her here.

"Well, nothing as exciting as your place, if that is what you mean." After Claire said that, I was seeing her probably being a tad bit jealous. As if she was thinking that without hanging out at my place, most of this was probably going to not be all that much fun. I did not want to brush her off was the thing, and that was the thing that I was thinking she was going to have to try and bring herself down to earth on, even if she was just thinking that my brothers were somehow so much more interesting than she ever would have been.

...

Henry's POV -April 5 1993 7:36 pm-: As I was wanting to go on and hang out with Claire and Lydia more, I was well aware that if I went too deeply into this, then I was going to be getting them annoyed at me, and I was going to start to ruin their patience with me, and I was not wanting to deal with something like this, no matter what. I was thinking that the worst that can come out of this is just finally getting to see what I could do to not be bored out of my fucking mind for the rest of my time here.

I was just thinking that I could continue to watch some movies, and that this was all that I was really needing to do here. As I was sitting down to do something like that, I was just trying to pretend like I was not going to be bothered with people just sort of ignoring me for the most part. I just felt like it was something that I would have to sacrifice if I was going to be living with all these people. That I would only be able to have a various amount of focus on things going on around me.

As I was just thinking about what to do for the next hour and a half before I had to go to bed, I was then seeing Seth inside of his room. I was seeing him working on something with a guy who seemed to be on the slightly more gothic side right next to him. They were laughing, and were seeming to have some fun with what they were doing. I stood up, and I was thinking that I would get to meet this bloke. Considering the fact that I did not really know him all that well, and that I could be able to get to hear some stories about him or something.

"So Seth, what are you going to do with the material that you have? I mean, this might be some of the best work you have come up with lately?" After the man that I would later learn was Manny had said that to Seth, Seth sat back, and he was just thinking about what he was even going to be saying now. Not that there was too much for him to be saying to the issue now. Since he was truly thinking that he was having something going now.

"Well, I think that I will try to present it to some of my brothers when they have the time, and then when I do that, they might be able to give me some advice on what I should be doing to make the comedy better or something." After he had said that to Manny, he was looking right at him, and then he was rubbing his eyes, as if thinking that he was now literally one step away from the answers that he was needing, and felt so good to know this.

As he had said that, I was then hearing the door open, and I looked right at the door to see that Todd was coming in from work, and he was looking like he was kind of tired, since he had wished that he could be able to get a few more days or something. He had been working there for a week, and I could already see the fatigue coming into his life. I was seeing him looking like he wanted to do more, but could not bother to do it.

I looked back at Seth's room, where I was also seeing both he and Manny looking up, and trying to understand what was going on here. Since that noise was a bit distracting, and they were just kind of curious who had come back. They both went on and saw that it was just Todd. "That's my oldest brother Todd. He works at the video store. It's so cool. That's like him being able to rent free movies." After Seth said that, he was sounding proud as shit of the fact that his brother could do something like that. I was glad that there was something that Seth was able to enjoy about us, and that was making me think that maybe he could be able to have something more to say now.

"I don't technically get free movies. I just get them for a cheaper price. I think. Now that I think about it, I am not too sure here." After he had said that, he was scratching his head a bit, trying to recall if he was actually like that. Then he shrugged, thinking that there was not much that he wanted to say to it now. "I mean, I could ask, but I don't really know what he would say." After he had said that, he was then looking at Seth and seeing that Manny was there too.

"Is that the guy who always made fun of your shows?" Todd asked, and he was just trying to decide what he should be doing with this factoid in mind. Seth was then nodding, and then he was quick to jump to the guys defense, to make sure his older brother did not get too defensive for no real good reason.

"He's not a bad guy now. I mean, we just needed to hang out with each other for a bit to get to know each other more." After Seth had said that to Todd, that was when Todd was looking like he was still not too convinced, and was trying to find something else to say but then he was just sighing, thinking that it was not worth his bother.

"Just don't be rude to him in the house. I mean, there are already problems that we have to deal with." After he had said that, he looked down at me, and was thinking of something to say to get my attention. "I am guessing that you are wanting to watch some movies or something. I can put something on and you can join me." I took his offer, and sat down on the couch at his side, as Todd was taking out a soda and started to drink it a bit.

"How was work today?" I asked, and then Todd was looking right at me, and then he was shrugging, as if thinking that the day was not all that bad, but I did not think too badly about this whole thing. I was just then staring at the screen, looking at the romance that was being played at the screen, and I was thinking it was a bit strange.

"It was alright. I mean, I did not really get too many people into the house, but it was just a calm day where I was able to just mostly sit back. Maybe one customer every forty five minutes to an hour." After Todd said that, he was then sighing in relief. "I am glad that the boss let me work an extra couple of hours today." And then that was when Seth was laughing at that, thinking that this comment was a bit ridiculous.

"Why would you want to work extra hours at a place that you hardly enjoy?" Manny asked, and I was actually thinking in my mind that this was a valid question, and I was thinking that it would be interesting to know what Todd was going to be saying to this whole fact. Todd shrugged, as if thinking that as long as he brushed it off, pretending like it was nothing of a big deal, and then he would get this Manny guy to think this family was not too bad.

"I mean, if I can get some extra money every shift from this place, then that can contribute more to the house, get more money in my pocket, and maybe help me save up for an apartment or something like that." After Todd had said that, both Manny and Seth seemed to think that this was a valid point, and then that was when Lydia and Claire had come up from down stairs, where they were probably playing for a bit.

"Oh hey Claire, how are you doing?" I asked, and I was thinking that this question was a fair one, and she would probably be able to answer this one just fine. Then Todd looked up at Claire and Lydia, and he was finally looking like he had fulfilled something of purpose. Like he was wanting to meet her, and just wanted to see if she was worth all of the hype of not.

"I am doing alright. Is that Todd?" Claire asked, and then that was when Todd nodded, thinking that this was going to be a innocent enough moment, and that he was truly not thinking too badly of just answering her basic question. When he let her know who he was, she seemed to think that this was super exciting and wanted to know more of him right away.

...

Dylan's POV -April 6 1993 10:10 am-: I had woken up, and this time, it was late enough to notice that all of the brothers and Lydia who were going to school had already gotten up and out. I felt like when I was seeing something like this, that perhaps I was just going to focus on hanging out with some other brothers. I was seeing that Henry was out of his bed, and I was seeing that Drake was out of his bed as well. I knew that I just must have had a long night of sleep, considering the fact that I was tired, and I had a couple of bad nights of sleep and stuff lately, so I needed to just sleep a bit longer than normal.

I was then seeing that when I was in the living room, that Todd was starting to wake up, and I knew that he was getting ready to be going to work that day. I was then sighing, feeling like when I would see him around, he was not going to be able to pay much attention to me, and pretend like I was just not even all that bothered to this whole thing.

I was then sitting down on the couch, and then when I was sitting down at the couch, I was looking at Henry looking at the television. I knew for a fact that this was just what he was wanting to do on a normal basis. I did not really fully get it, but I decided that I was not going to try and understand it all. I felt like it was really not even all that big of a deal.

"Hey Dylan, you were out for a while last night. We were considering waking you up. But we did not want to make you mad." After he had said that to me, I was then thinking that there was not much that I had to say to this. I mean, I was glad that he did not do this, but at the same time, I wished that he would not be making a huge scene out of this either.

"I was really tired. I did not want to deal with nightmare anymore. Not having them helped so much last night." I said, and then I was thinking that this was all that I needed to really know. I felt like when I would think about those nightmares, I would be getting one of my own, and that would just be making these things even worse for everybody around me, since I was not good when it was coming to nightmares.

"Well, I just thought that you were going to wake up when you were ready. I mean, it's not that big of a deal. I just was unsure of what to do with you." After he had said that, he was going back to the screen, as if thinking that he had said everything he needed to, and that he was thinking even the prospect of adding more would have just been useless anyways.

"Thanks for letting me sleep. I feel good." I said, and then I was just then seeing Todd coming out of his room, and then I was seeing him rub his eyes a bit. "Are you going to work?" I asked, and while I knew the answer to the question, I was just wanting to be polite, and I was wanting him to feel like he was going to have somebody to talk to here. Even if it was just a three year old boy, which I guess was a bit silly to be acting like this. But I did not want to make things any worse for them.

"Yeah, I just think that when I go to work, and I do something there, I feel like I am having a purpose. You know, I feel like I am doing something that actually matters. So I am going there, even if it's just for a four hour shift." After he had said that, he felt like there was nothing else he needed to say to the matter. He was then going to the door, and looked right at us. In a way, he felt like the idea of Henry watching the rest of us was going to be a bit crazy, since he was still only five.

"You be good, and you watch them, alright Henry." After Todd said that, I saw my slightly older brother sigh and nod, and then Todd felt like this was going to be the best that he was going to be getting out of him, and then opened up the door, and was heading out to leave us alone. I was looking right at Henry, and I was thinking that maybe we were going to have to find a better time to work or something when this was what was happening. Then again, there were our parents and stuff. But due to the fact that my father worked all day and my mother was so busy raising so many kids, she probably was somebody who I barely ever saw. Although when I did see them, she was a rather nice girl, and she made me feel like I was special.

With that, and the fact that we were not needing to think about the issue too much longer, I was then thinking about how I would be able to just keep relaxed the rest of the day. And if Henry was really even going to be all that bad with watching us for a few hours. I mean, when school was out, surely at least one of our siblings was going to be back, and then things were going to be fine. So I was thinking that Henry needed to pull through for just five hours, and then we were good.

"Do you know how to watch us?" I asked, and I was then looking right at him, and he was looking like he had no idea what to say. Almost as if saying anything was either going to be a lie, or make him feel like he was just going to totally embarrass himself. Which I was thinking was going to be a fun sight for a minute or two, but then just become sort of sad to watch after that. So I decided that I would not press him more on the matter here.

"Yeah, I mean, I just need to feed you guys and change diapers. It really can't be that bad." Henry said, and I was hearing that he was sort of unsure of what to say. I mean, this was the first time we were ever having to deal with something like this, and I was clearly seeing that this whole thing was just something that he did not want to expose himself over. I was thinking that maybe I should be going easy on him, since he was not meaning anything wrong with it. I figured that maybe he just really did not know how to handle this type of stuff, and that if I was to press him on this, he would be freaking out. besides, if he was gone, then it would be Drake and I who would have to watch Levi and Ridge.

"I guess that it would be fine." I said, and despite the whole thing, I did know that deep down, he was the most qualified to be doing this whole thing out of the five of us. When you are that young, age is literally everything, and if he was the oldest of the ones in the house, then it just simply had to be him. There was no other way to this. I mean, I just wanted to know why Gabe did not get shifts later in the day, to make sure that he would be here while the rest of the older siblings were at school. But regardless, I was still too young to really understand the whole situation, so I guess that I really did not have much to say here.

"I feel so responsible." Henry said, and he was saying that last bit, as if thinking that this was the most exciting thing in his entire life. But at the same time, I was thinking that perhaps he was just thinking about how scary this was, and that this was just his way of trying to make it sound like he was able to be calm about this whole thing. I was then feeling like the day was going to be long, but the day was going to be fun, and the day was going to be good.

...

Drake's POV -April 7 1993 4:26 am-: Most of the time, when I say that I was hearing something, I knew that it was probably just people wandering around the living room trying to get something to eat or get ready for school. But it was too late for the former to happen, and too early for the latter to happen as well. I knew that something must be happening, and when I was having that fact suddenly sink in, that was when I was starting to get up. Knowing that this time was for real. There really was somebody coming towards us here, and I was needing to either find a way to be ready, or let my older brothers do this on this, since I was nowhere near old enough to make any difference.

Once I was outside of the down stairs area, I was just looking and I was seeing that there was a couple of people near the house, and I was seeing that they were taking some various notes on this. As if there was something important that these people were planning out. I was thinking that whatever this thing was, I needed to try and understand what was going on. Which was a bit strange. I was just staring from a distance, to make sure that they were not going to notice me, since I did not want to make any risk of being caught and having something much worse happen to me.

I was then just sort of wondering what I was going to be able to do to keep myself safe in case if they were going to be coming here. I mean, I knew that if they were going to get closer to this place, then I might be in danger, and that was something that I knew was not going to be worth taking the risk over. I was then looking down at the ground, just trying to act like if they did not see me, nothing was going to even be all that big of a deal. Everything was going to be fine.

The people spent nearly five minutes talking with each other outside that I knew of, and when they were doing this, I was starting to feel less scared over and over again, and was just more confused at what I was watching. I mean, I did not think that they were good guys in a way, but at the same time, I was feeling like as long as they did not come close to the house, then I had no real reason to try and make things worse by seeing what to do around them.

I was seeing that there was a sign that they were getting kind of close to wrapping up here. I was feeling like perhaps when I would see them off, I would start to feel much better about this whole situation. I was just thinking that I was going to have to not let my entire guard down, no matter what was happening here.

As I was seeing somebody taking out a phone, and talking into it, I was thinking that they were just doing something related to business, and at this point in time, I was starting to be bored. I was thinking that there was no real need to listen to any of this stuff anymore. I was thinking that I could just go home, and just pretend like this was really not affecting me all that much. But as I was starting to take the chance to be going back to bed, I was still thinking that these people were wanting to hang out with me. I was certain that these guys were planning on something. This was scaring me to think about, since everything had started to get just so much worse the moment that Ridge was brought home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Eventually, I was seeing one guy laughing, and taking out a cigarette, and he was seeming to really enjoy something in this conversation. I was waking a tad closer, seeing if there was tiny details that I could be able to learn if I did something like this. I was thinking that a few extra steps was not going to hurt, and that when I did that, I would see how I could be able to get them to indirectly reveal more information while also being hidden away here.

As I was seeing the two guys laughing, they were then writing something down on a piece of paper, as if this was going to be the way that they would wrap up their look into this place. I was then thinking about what I was going to be saying now. But at the same time, I was thinking that just we were going to be safe, and that as long as they were gone, I was going to be able to sleep well. Although it was seeming like tonight it was going to be me, not Dylan, who would be having the nightmares, and I did not really know if I was going to be ready for such a thing. In fact, I knew that I was not ready, and that was the one thing that I knew for a fact coming into this whole ordeal.

I figured that I was going to just go down, and then as I was stopping, I saw the two guys finish up their writing, and they were walking to their cars. I did not even notice the cars earlier, and I was wondering where they would even drive to from here. I was thinking that this somehow could be able to give me the answer I wanted. But at the same time, I did not want to get in trouble with my family. I knew that something like this was truly just not going to fucking be worth it. It was not going to be worth it, knowing that the rest of the month would just be lost by being grounded if I went out to try and find out what was happening.

Once they were totally gone, and away from me, I was feeling like I could just be able to pretend like this was not really even all that big of a deal. As I was feeling like I would be fine now, I was going to my room, and I would be fine with everything that was going on. I felt like I was just needing to not deal with anybody going out of their way trying to make me feel better. I did not really feel like I was going to be making a huge deal out of it. I would never bring it up to anybody, and I would just keep this secret together for ever now.

As I was getting down stairs, I was feeling like the whole thing could have probably just been considered to be a nightmare. And with that, we could just be able to write it off, and act like it was not all that big of a deal, and then I would just brush it off forever. I was then laying down on my bed, finally happy to just act like I was going to be fine and safe. Which was going to be all that I was really needing now.

I was then looking at my twin brother, and he was looking like he was just happy for once in his life. I did not really think that anything wrong with him, and I did not think that anything was going to be all that big of a deal. I was just glad to see that maybe I was going to be the only one who would have to deal with the issues of this town, and that I was going to not even be too worried about this whole thing.

I was placing my head on the pillow, just unsure of what the hell I was going to even do if I was not going to forget about this after a couple of days. If something like this were to come along and just give me nightmares, then I was going to be having a large set of problems to be going through. I thought that if this was going to continue for a while, I would just finally tell my parents what was bothering me.

But I was thinking that the chances of something like this happening were just going to be much higher than I ever wanted to admit that it would have. But I guess that it did not really matter, and I was just going to be doing what I had to do for most of the time. I was just hoping that I would not have to resort to having to go through it all again, since that was just something that I wanted to place at the back of my mind.

...

Levi's POV -April 7 1993 7:32 am-: At this time, I was hearing Josiah starting to move around, due to the fact that he was needing to get ready for school. As I was seeing him going around, and getting ready for school, I was wondering what it was going to be like if I had to start to go there myself. I mean, it was going to happen in a few years, but I really had no desire to do such a thing now. I felt like the idea of going to school was going to be rather boring, and was not really even going to be worth it. I was seeing Josiah picking up his guitar, and sitting down in the living room couch, where he was going to try and get in some tunes before he was forced to be going to school. Usually he would like to do something like that when he was dealing with the school days.

I was hungry and wanted something to eat, but at the same time, I was thinking that maybe people were not wanting to deal with me yet, so I was feeling like I would just be quiet the entire time that I was watching. Besides, there was always somebody who fed me before I went to school, so I was really not that worried about eating right now. I knew that I could wait another hour or two.

I was seeing Josiah finish up his playing, and then he was sighing, thinking that he was really coming up with some good tunes, and that this was something that he would actually be proud of. And if he could be able to be proud of something like this, then I knew that it was good, and I knew that I was going to be proud of him, seeing that this was all that I needed.

I was then thinking about what I was doing right now. I was just laying down on the bed, and I was seeing other people slowly coming out of their room one at a time, every five to ten minutes, and there was a moment where Gabe was coming out of his room, and then he was taking a long and deep breath and then that was when Seth was slowly getting out of his room as well, then Lydia and eventually Jack. They were coming out over time from seventy thirty to around eight fifteen.

"I want to not go to school anymore." Jack said, and then that was when Josiah was laughing a bit, not even about what he was saying itself but thinking that if he was tired of it by third grade, then he was going to be hating his life later. He was going to really hate school as it would go on for years. Then Lydia decided that she would chime in at that.

"I don't mind school yet. It's kind of fun." After Lydia had said that, that is when the four older siblings all seemed to look at each other, as if thinking that this was something they could agree on. That she was simply not ready for the truth of how brutal going to school was really going to be. "At least I have some cool friends." She said, and smiled at that statement, like it was something she really was proud of.

"I guess that you have not had to deal with school projects or anything. Once that starts, you are going to take back everything that you are saying." After Gabe said that, he was just then rubbing his eyes, as if he was just wanting this school year over with, no matter what the cause was going to be. I felt like when they were talking about school, it was just going to be a bit odd.

"It has some good moments here and there, but yeah over all it is pretty gross, and not in my top ten favorite things that I can be doing." After Seth was saying that, he was just thinking about the fact that he was doing all of this anyways. He was thinking that there was some merit to what Lydia had been saying, but not nearly enough to actually make it worth going to that place at all. And there was no better way that he was going to be able to explain it.

He was going to the door, as he was scratching his head a little bit. He was thinking that there was just something that was kind of bothering him a bit. "I am going to be going to the bathroom for a moment. You guys can leave without me. I will you guys after school." After Gabe had said that, that was when the others in the room were looking like it was strange that he was needing to be in the bathroom for so long. "Are you going back to your old self?" Josiah asked him, thinking that he was just being a relatively playful guy when he was saying this He did not think that there was anything wrong with him pressing this whole matter onto him. As Gabe was walking off, I was seeing him thinking about what he had been asked, and he was thinking that there was no need to say anything else to that. "Well, I guess that maybe there is some validity to what you are saying. But I would not be super worried about that right now. I think that everything is going to be better from now on, and that I don't have nearly as much to worry about. And I am going to be taking advantage of that right now." After he had said that, he was walking off, and this time, he was not waiting for any more comments. He was going to be off doing his own thing, and that was all that he needed at that time.

"He hasn't shaved in nearly three weeks. It's strange to see him go that long. I mean, I can't really even remember him going more than two or three days ever." After Seth said that, Josiah was seeming to think about it for a moment, and then he added something to the discussion, although he was not heavily invested.

"I think one time, I remember him going five days, and that was already really crazy to see. Just him going even that long. But I never really thought too much about it. I just think maybe he got caught up in school or something. But I think that I would have to agree that the idea of him going seventeen days is a bit odd. That is over three times as much as everything else." After Josiah had said that, he felt like there was no need to continue on with this discussion. He had felt like in the end, this conversation was a bit odd, but he did not think that his younger brother was really doing anything too strange.

"Well, I think it is something that I am getting used to. I mean, he seems to be kind of pulling it off a little bit." After Lydia had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was a bit happy to think of such a thing. She was thinking that him going without shaving for a period of time was giving him his own charm with that look. But then after she was done with saying that, they were starting to realize that it was time for them to be going to school. And that if they stuck around any longer, then they were going to get a late slip. Just because Gabe was probably going to get one, did not mean that they had to, and it really did not matter for him since he was going to be done with school soon.

With that, Seth was the first one to the door, and he opened it, and was going to be heading to school right away. Since he was soon going to be the only one in middle school next year, there was a few years where he was going to be feeling alone, and that he was just going to have to adapt to being a student all on his own.

After Seth had left to go to school, that was when Lydia had left to go to school, while Josiah was leaving after this, and Jack was the last one to leave to go to school. Once they were all gone, it took about five to ten minutes for Gabe to finally leave the bathroom, and he was looking at us for a couple of seconds, and then I was just thinking about the strange new sight. A sight that I could not stop thinking about after my older siblings pointed it out, and one that over time, was going to be some form of a sign of his change over time.

...

Ridge's POV -April 7 1993 10:10 am-: When I was seeing Gabe leave the bathroom, I was seeing him clean shaven the first time in my entire life. I was shocked when I was seeing him looking like this, and I was just wanting to find a way to see how long it was going to take for me to get used to something like this. As he was about to leave the house, Todd was getting up as well. And Todd was about to say something about the clean shave when I heard something strange. Something that I was going to have to get used to one way or another, no matter how much I liked it or not.

I was hearing this loud grinding noise, and it was the worst noise that I had ever heard in my entire life. It had hurt my ears, and I was thinking that it was going to be making my ears bleed, and then the noise just kept going on for nearly a minute, and then when it was done, the whole thing sounded like it had never happened. That was when Gabe was looking right at Todd, as if he was wanting to find something to say, but did not want to anger his brother at that moment, to avoid some form of a argument.

"What do you think that this noise really is?" Todd asked me, and then Gabe looked right at Todd, and he was unsure of how he was going to be able to respond, and he was just quiet for several seconds, before he decided that he was going to come up with a answer, even if he was not going going to get Todd to listen to him at all.

"I have a feeling that whatever is going on with that grinder, there is something that is going to connect this all the way to the things going on with this town. I mean, I know that you don't believe in me, but at the same time, I know something is going on, and I quite frankly don't care if you believe in me or not. I think that my searching is going to end though. I mean, as much as I want to know, I don't want to die to learn this." After Gabe had said that to Todd, he was thinking about what to say now.

"If you don't do something about this, and if there is something going on, what do you think is going to be done about it all?" After he had asked Gabe this, that was when the two looked at each other, and Gabe could not believe that he was being asked this question, when there was always this fight that had been had between them for the last couple of weeks. But he was deciding that he was going to hide that annoyance, and give him a normal answer here.

"I am aware of that. But there is something that just has to be left alone. I mean, I am not going to be getting myself killed just because I got overly ambitious for a couple of days. I mean, I already nearly did get killed once or twice, and that is enough for me to realize that it is not worth it." Gabe said, and then Todd was looking at him, as if he was unsure of what he was going to even say now. But he was going to be starting with the one that really was coming to his mind.

"Can you tell me what happened the second time? I mean, I already knew about what happened at first to almost kill you. But I had no idea about what happened to you the second time." After he had said that to Gabe, that was when Gabe was looking down, thinking about what he was going to say. He was thinking that he would really not appreciate talking about this, since it was just something that would be bringing up the worst memories that he was having.

"I got too deep. I was seeing that there was some people out in front of the house, and I feared for what they were doing, since I knew their outfit. When I came to them though, they saw me, and they attacked me, and I managed to fight one off to go away, and I had no choice but to kill the second one. I have killed two men over this. I would really not want to make it a third. I would do anything that I can to make sure that there is not a third one. Killing is the one thing that I thought that I would do if I had to, and both times that I did it, it just made me feel wrong. But I had to. But as you were asking, one of them stabbed me right in the chest, and gave me a terrible wound." Gabe showed his older brother the wound for the first time, hoping that he was not going to be brushing this off now, and that he was going to be taking it more seriously, when he saw the scar that Gabe now had.

"Oh god, that is brutal. Did you really feel like you were going to be ready for such a thing?" After Todd had asked Gabe this, he was shaking his head, and he was thinking that this was going to be enough of a wake up call to be leaving this entire thing alone. To make sure that nothing were to get to him even further than it already had been.

"I mean, I thought that I could have been ready for this. But this is out of my league. And I am willing to admit such a thing now. This is totally out of my league, and there is no way for me to be able to come out of this sounding like I was some great hero who did something wonderful." After he had said that, he lowered his shirt again, feeling like he had already made his point enough now, and that he did not need to go any further in this discussion.

"Well, just make sure that you don't do anything that is going to break that promise. I think that most of us are going to want to never see you get in danger over anything." After Todd had said that, he was starting to nod a bit. As if he was feeling like this was the worst moment of his entire like. The fact that he was going to have to accept the fact that maybe Gabe was actually right on the fact that something was going on here, and there was certainly something going on that would make people think that killing him would have been worth it.

"I think that when I settle back down into a relatively normal life, I will finally feel like I am going to be much better here. I just think that I am going to be lost unless if I take care of things on my own." Then with that, Gabe looked right at Todd, thinking that they had both said their piece, and that they could be able to just head on out now to their own thing.

"I seriously have to be going to school now. I don't want to make anybody think that I am just ditching out or anything. I did not think that I was going to be out for this long anyways." After Gabe had said that, he was leaving the house, and then he was thinking that this was finally his sign of showing that he had truly moved on. Which was great news for Todd, and made him feel like his brother was going to be going back to some form of normalcy, and that was truly all that he had wanted out of his brother to be doing here.

Then with that, Todd was looking, and he had seen that there was still Levi and I inside of our parents room, and Todd was feeling like he would just be glad to know that there was one constant at least. The fact that we were still young kids, and that we were not going to be going anywhere besides this crib for a while. That was something that Todd loved, and that was something that he was just thinking was worth it. I wanted to say something, but my mind was just incapable of talking the way that they did, and I was just trying to understand their conversation, as well as what this grinder noise was really at all. I just felt like I needed to finally know somethings that happened here, when I was old enough to actually comprehend what was going on.


	7. Before the Falls

Chapter 7: BeforeThe Falls

Hey, my name is Davis Pines, and I have a story to be telling you the story about my time when I went to a rural town to Gravity Falls for the summer. I mean, I will tell you that story soon enough, but there was something that happened a few years before hand, and I had all but forgotten about this for a few years until I was reminded about it in a way that I was not really ready for. Anyways, I am stalling this whole thing for too long, so let's just get right to the fucking point of this.

It was when I was twelve years old, and it was roughly the summer of that year as well. This had been about three to four years before the main story I will eventually get to. I was hanging around with my twin sister Mabel, and I was just sort of wanting to find some other friends to be hanging out with. But at the same time, my twin sister and I were actually getting along at the time, and I did not really have any real issue with the two of us hanging out with each other for a few hours and stuff. But I did not really know if we really had any interests in common, which was the main problem that I was having that day.

"Hey Mabel, what do you want to accomplish this summer?" I asked Mabel, and I was just a bit curious in what she was going to be saying here. But at the same time, she was unsure of what the hell we were going to be doing during the summer. But from the way she was looking at me, I was seeing her looking like she still had a small amount of her crazy idealism and stuff. You know, to sort of try and find something to do that summer. "I think that I am going to try to make some new friends this summer and get something going on here." I said, and then I was getting ready to hear what her answer was going to be here.

"I am planning on going on and trying to find a boyfriend. I really want one and see if I can make him see that I am the princess of the fucking world." After she was saying that to me, I was sort of just wanting to find the nice way to tell her how something like this was just probably not going to work. "I really hope that he enjoys hanging out with you, and maybe I can show him to mom and dad after we have gotten to know each other for a while." When she said that, I was looking like I just feeling like I would just keep this whole thing to myself now.

"I think that this might really not work out. Just to be honest, I think that you might be a bit boy crazy. I think that you have to be a bit more natural about the way that you approach them and stuff." I said, and then after I was done telling her this, I was seeing her looking like she was kind of bothered by the fact that I had just said that to her, she was almost wanting to tell me to be nice about it at least. But before anything else could be said, I was seeing a couple of guys riding down with a skateboard just looking like they were having the time of her fucking life.

I was then wondering what I could be able to do to get the guys to hang out with me. I mean, I did not know how well it was going to actually work. I was then looking at Mabel, and I was just sort of wanting to see if she was going to agree with what I was planning on doing and stuff. "Hey Mabel, want me try to meet the guys over there?" I asked, and then after I asked her that, I saw Mabel looking like she was feeling kind of excited that I was totally excluding her from this whole thing.

"Let's see what they might be wanting to say." After she had said that, I was then starting to walk to the guys with the skateboard, and I was feeling like I would see what I would be able to say to them that would actually get them to think that I would actually be kind of fun to hang out with and stuff. I was walking to them, and as I was seeing them stopping their skating for the time being, I was seeing them looking right at me. As if they were unsure of what to say, but they were willing to see what I was going to say that could introduce myself.

"Hey, I was wondering if you guys were wanting to hang out for a bit? We live at that house over there?" I asked, and I was feeling like I was being a bit stupid. Even to myself I was feeling like they were going to think that I was being a bit strange. And that I just needed to think about how odd my approach to this even was. "My name is Davis, and this is my twin sister Mabel over here." I can see in hindsight that I was sounding more and more awkward the entire time that I had been saying this.

The guys were looking at me, and I was seeing the two of them looking like they were kind of wanting to laugh at us. But at the same time, I was also seeing them looking like they would not want to do such a thing near my house, where our parents were going to be able to just make things much worse for them and stuff. So with that, I was having a feeling that they were thinking it would be best to at least pretend like we were getting along and stuff.

"My name is Chad, and that guy is Andrew over there." Chad said, and he was a little bit chubby, but he was not like obese or anything, and he was having the hat on backwards, as if thinking that this could be able to make him look like he was bad ass and stuff. Then there was Andrew, who was relatively tall for our age and he was looking like he had not showered in a few days, due to the fact that even from a distance, I could see some sweat patches on his arm pit area of his shirt. I was kind of grossed out by this, but I did not want them to hate us, so I decided that I would not say anything.

"Do you guys like skating usually?" I asked, and I was wondering what the hell I was even suggesting here. I mean, I was not a skater, and I don't think that I would ever be a skater. But at the same time, I was just so desperate to try and make it seem like I was a totally cool guy and stuff. But at the same time, I was just unsure of what I would tell them. I was seeing that they were looking like maybe I was not so bad after all, if I was willing to go on and try to have some attempts at skating and stuff

"We usually do a round or two a day. We only really started during the summer lately. We thought that we could be able to get better at this over time. So yeah, we have been doing this relatively often in recent time." After Chad had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see how I would handle this. He had started to hand me the skateboard, and I was looking a bit excited while also being scared on this.

"I am going to do so bad at this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was starting to skate down a bit, trying to not fall down every moment of the day. I was skating a little bit at a time, and I was starting to feel like I was going to fall down, due to the horrible imbalance that I was having at that moment. I was sort of just unsure of what the hell I was even going to accomplish with these people.

I probably only skated for about twenty seconds or so until I fell down on the ground, and then I was going chest to street, and then I was groaning in the small amount of pain that I had just put myself in. Then when I had finished, I looked right up, and I was wondering what Chad and Andrew were going to say. I did not know if they wanted to laugh at me for failing so badly, or if they were wanting to be kind of impressed that I had done this at all.

"It is never easy the first couple of times. Trust me, we had some problems too. If you do it often enough, you will be getting better on this whole thing. Skating is just something that might not be for everybody though." After Andrew had said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what he would say now. I think that he sort of was fine with just leaving it at that statement. But then I was looking at Mabel, as if wondering what she would be saying to this.

"Do you want to try it out?" I asked, and she was shaking her head, as if thinking that there was no way in hell she was going to be making herself look like a idiot to everybody just because everybody else was doing this. I was just feeling like when I was going to try and make Mabel do this, she would probably be a mix of glad that at least I was at least trying to make her look included, but also thinking that this was clearly not what she was wanting to do when she was hearing about hanging out with new people and trying to get a boyfriend and everything.

"Trust me, I would be even worse than you at this. So no, I am not even going to bother with this whole thing. Although I do not mind watching you guys try this out. It looks like it is actually a lot of fun." She said, and I was seeing her looking at the Andrew guy, and she was looking like there was something hot about him, which was odd, considering the fact that he was looking like he had not really given any form of a shit about his presentation. Like even less than I would on a bad day.

"It's your loss I guess." Chad said, and then he was looking at the two of us, and he was looking like he was wanting to decide what he was going to be saying to us. Almost like he was wanting to be nice, even if he was not really sure if he was wanting to be friends with us on a actual level and stuff. "But I guess that if you are interested in this, then maybe we can go to the skating park, and we can show you some techniques that we have right now." After he had said that to me, I was then thinking that maybe this whole thing was not going to actually be all that bad after all.

I was looking at Mabel, and I was really hoping that these guys were actually liking me, and not just saying this to have a chance to make fun of us with their material and stuff. I was thinking that perhaps they were going to slowly like me more over time, if I was actually going to try and present myself in a proper fashion. And you know, not being a total asshole and everything. "Yeah, I think that we should go and try that out." I said, and then after I was saying this to the two guys, I was seeing them looking a bit excited to see that I was not being stupid about this whole fucking thing.

So with that, Chad and Andrew were starting to skate along, and I was standing right behind at Mabel, and I was thinking that I would at least try to make some small talk. You know, not to be a total asshole and stuff. And to make them actually have a small chance to like me and stuff. I did not know if such a thing was possible. But I was feeling like it would be worth a try at least. "So guys, do you have other friends who do skating and stuff? Are they as good at it as you are?" I asked, just thinking that perhaps when I was going to finally get them to start to talk to me, and not be thinking that I would be a good subject to make fun of and stuff, which I was just really wishing I would not have to deal with anymore.

"Sometimes we go out and hang out with some people at the skating park. But we do not actively hang out with people who do this. It's just not really anything that we want to bring other people with. You know, since we are wishing to get better at this before we start to expose too many people to our skills." After Andrew said that, I was then thinking about what I would want to respond with. But then Mabel was saying something before I could even think of a real reply and stuff.

"Is that why you weren't really wanting to talk to my brother at first? Because you were worried that he would see you guys not performing the best out of anybody in this town?" After she had asked the two guys this, Chad was looking like maybe this could be a good response that would be able to get her satisfied for the time being.

"Well, that is a part of it. We also just don't like being interrupted when we hang out and stuff. I guess that it is better to have some random classmates do it than anybody else. You know, because at least with you guys, there is a small amount of interest that you are showing in the subject." After Chad was telling her this, I was wondering what he was really believing in at this point. But at the same time, I was feeling like perhaps he was just not sure why she was even here in the first place, if she was showing no interest in the subject.

"Aren't you afraid that people might be making fun of you at the skating park if they see you or something? You know, by people who are considered better than you." After she was saying that to Chad and Andrew, the guy guys looked like they were not caring all that much about stuff like that. Which was a bit strange for them to admit, considering everything else that had been said.

"I mean, when you are there, you just try to get better at this stuff. I think that when you try to get better at skating and stuff, then you are just going to have to deal with people who are better than you at least at first. And then over time, when you are showing people your progress sooner or later, you are going to be the one who is better than mos of the people who are just showing up, and you are going to have to try and teach them how it is like." After he had said that, he was wondering what she was going to be wanting to say next. If she really even cared to find something to say to him.

"I guess that maybe I can see the logic there. I guess that maybe I just don't really get it." After Mabel was telling the guys that, she was really hoping that our increased discussion rate could be able to get them to think that maybe she was not so bad after all. But she did not know if it was going to be working very well or not.

"Maybe if you were to get into something like a natural hobby, you would be able to see what we are talking about. The idea of sort of just trying to get better over time, and then as you are improving, that you are just less scared to be public. Since people who are better than you are growing fewer and they might be more willing to teach you their skills, and you are getting better than a larger percentage. It is just a natural piece of progress." After Andrew had said that, he had felt like he had made his entire point, and did not need to say much more after this.

"How willing would you be able to teach other people how to skate and stuff? I mean, soon enough, like you said, you are going to be better than them, and you are going to have to start to show them that you really do have what it takes and stuff." I said, and then after I was asking them this question, they were both looking like they had been a bit unsure of what to tell us. If they really had any plans to say anything to us in the first place. Which I was just really not too sure on at all. Eventually, we were getting to the skate park, and I was wondering what was going to be happening next, when I would see Andrew and Chad start to be showing their skills off to the public and stuff.

"I will be very interested to see how you guys handle the skating ring now." I said, and then after I had said that to the two guys, I was sitting down on a beach, and Mabel was sitting down next to me, wondering what she was going to be saying to me. If she had really even wanted to be saying anything else, or just to observe these people playing in the ring for a while, to see how they were able to handle it.

Chad and Andrew were getting in the ring, and they started to skate around for a couple of minutes. I was looking right at Mabel, and I was thinking that perhaps I could be able to have a casual conversation with her. To make her feel like she was more welcome and stuff. I did not want to make her feel like she was being left out of anything, and that was the one thing that I was going to do to make sure that none of this was going to happen. "So do you think that the could be pretty cool people when you start to hang out with them more often?" I asked, just feeling like I was needing to see what she was going to say to me.

"Well, I think that they are going to be fine and stuff. I think that we just need to make them want to hang out with us again. You know, maybe they would like to see what we can do here more often." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was really hoping that this could work. I did not know if this was because of her whole boy crazy thing, or if she was actually thinking that these two guys would be fun to hang out with.

"I will see what I can do. But I can't really make any promises. You know, they might not really be super excited about hanging out with some people that they might not really know. To be honest, I am not even sure if they like me all that much so much." I said, and then I was wondering what she was going to be saying now. I was just feeling like when I was being honest with her, she would be able to start to have a more real look than she had given us before.

"They might not like you so far. But they are going to like you soon enough. All you have to do is just sort of win them over. I think that since you are a regular social guy, then you are going to be able to handle this." After she was saying that to me, I was just looking down, not too sure on what I was even going to say now. But I was feeling like if we talked more on this, then the two guys were going to be getting in my business, and try and fight with me because of the fact that I was being an "asshole" and stuff when I should not have done something like this.

I was just unsure of what the fucking hell I was even going to be doing now. I was looking at the skating, and I was seeing Andrew looking like he was starting to fumble a bit, but he was looking like he was sort of getting right back to his skating like. As if he was not wanting anybody to notice what he was doing now. He was just feeling like as long as we did not say anything, then he could act like this had never happened. But I was just more thinking about how he was just doing better than I would have done anyways, and I did not need to be making a big riot out of it or anything.

I was seeing Chad looking like he was trying to pull off some actual tricks. I was really thinking that if he was going to pull them off, then there was nothing that could make me stop him from just going all in and stuff. But at the same time, I was wondering if Chad really knew what type of tricks he was going to be able to pull off, or if he was just sort of trying to see what he was going to be capable off on his own.

I saw him actually pulling the trick off, and I was sort of thinking that maybe he should be trying to teach me how to do this stuff. Maybe he would be good enough to help me see how I can pull this off. I was unsure of how long it would take for me to really pull it off. But I felt like I was just needing to try at least. And then I was sort of putting my thumb up at them, to sort of show them that that I was sort of impressed with their performance. When I actually was, and I did not need to pretend like I had been or anything.

As I had looked for a while longer, there was a small part of me that was thinking that I was going to be starting to miss out on this stuff over time. But then I was seeing both Chad and Andrew go along and attempt some tricks for a bit longer, and they were looking like they were almost in sync. Like they had been sort of planning this whole thing out from the start, and was wanting to see what I would say to this. But when it was looking like they were done with their stunt, they were coming right to me, to see what I would be saying next.

"We could be able to teach you eventually. I mean, nobody is around, so maybe one of these nights or something, if you want to get out and just play some skating for a bit, then perhaps we can make something like this work." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wondering what I was going to be saying to this idea. But I was sort of just unsure of what I would even tell them.

I was looking at Mabel, and I was wondering what she was going to be saying. It looked like she was kind of glad to see that they were offering me something here. That perhaps I was already having part of my job done, and that I was needing to just relax a bit. I was thinking that maybe she could have been right with this. "Hey Mabel, if you want to try and tag along with this, then you can. I mean, I doubt that they would be too directly opposed to anything like that." I said, and then she was looking like she was trying to think of something to say. To make her look like she was totally ready for this.

"Yeah, that would be a lot of fun." After she had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to actually go along with this. But at the same time, I was feeling like I was going to be able to start to get something going now. But I was unsure of if she was going to make a good impression here. Or if I was pretty much going to just have to do most of the work. Which I did not want to make her feel left out. But there was a difference between our two social skills, which was just a fact.

"Maybe we can meet up in a couple of days. And when we meet up, the two of us can teach you some basic skills that we already know." Chad had told me, and then I was starting to nod a bit. I felt like I was going to finally have a chance to get some real friends in this summer. Which I thought was not going to happen, and not with these people who seemed to actually hate me on first impression. Who seemed to think that I was just a bit annoying and stuff.

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys." I said, and I was holding my right hand out, still not getting up, when I could have easily done such a thing. They both shook my hand back, and there was something in my mind thinking that perhaps I was not needing to worry so hard. They were seeming to like me, and I was thinking that as long as I could get them to continue to like me, then I was going to actually have some chance of being able to show that I was not totally afraid to get on the board.

A couple of days later, and when everything was looking like it was finally coming down a bit, and that these issues were not as bad as I was thinking that they were going to be, I was thinking that maybe I should go on and try to see if Chad and Andrew were able to hang out again. To see if they were still actually planning on holding me to that offer that they had made, or if like what Mabel was saying, they were just doing this to make fun of me. I did not really know what to say to them, but I was feeling like it was indeed worth a try.

As I was outside of the house, a small part of me was feeling a little bit bad for not asking Mabel if she was wanting to talk along, But in all honestly, I was unsure of if I was wanting her to see if this was going to not turn out very well. I was feeling like if I would try to talk to those guys, and they would shoot me down, then her watching was the last thing in the world that I would want. And I was just thinking about what I would have to do in order to get over it if they were going to be responding that way that I had been fearing they were going to.

But as I was heading along to the skate park, and I was thinking about what I was even going to be doing to get their attention, there was a voice that called out to me. I was groaning in annoyance when I was hearing this, and I was thinking that perhaps I needed to just see what this person was going to tell me. To just sort of see what the hell she was even wanting from me. I would be able to tell before she was even speaking that it was a younger girl.

I turned around, and I was seeing a girl who looked to be about nine years old, with red hair, and wearing a green shirt and she was having some freckles. I was wondering what was going on with her, and I was just thinking that I would just see what she was interested in, and then I would finally have a starting point to actually finally understand this whole thing.

"Hey, what is bothering you right now?" I asked, and then I was just thinking as long as I was civil about this whole thing, then I was going to be able to get her to just tell me the truth of what bothered her, and then I would finally be able to help her out a bit more than I was thinking that I could. "I mean, I was planning on meeting with somebody soon. So you might need to be fast about this whole thing." I was just hoping she would actually listen to me here.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something." After she was asking me this question, I was a bit annoyed, but I was thinking that I was just needing to see what she was even wanting to talk about in the very least before I was going to be brushing her off and stuff. But I was just unsure of what I was even going to accomplish by talking with her in the first place.

"What is bothering you?" I asked, and I was just trying my best to make it sound like I was not getting at least kind of pissed. But I was thinking that maybe I was not going to be doing a good job on this. I was thinking that to any general person, they were going to think that I was being too harsh with them and stuff. But I just had no idea what I was even going to accomplish. "Is it something really urgent?"

"No, not exactly. But I think that you might be able to help me." She said, and then I was looking pissed, but I was just doing my best to not be a fucking asshole for once in my life, and just see what was going on with her. "I was wanting you to help me and my sister out on setting up a lemonade stand." She had said to me, and I was pissed at this. Why was she wasting my time like this? But at the same time, I was just thinking that I was needing to see what she was even going to accomplish from this in the first place. Why she was thinking that I would be the one who can help her with the fucking lemonade stand when like her parents could not be able to help me out.

"Yeah, I guess that I can do something like that. I mean, I was not really doing anything that was too urgent." I said, and while I was telling the truth, I was hoping that the previous comments I made would have been enough for her to get the point. But I was thinking that something like this was just not happening. So with that, I was just following her as she was trying to lead me along. I was thinking that there was going to be a couple of annoying things she would want me to learn, and then when I was done, then everything was going to be fine.

Once we were in front of the stand, she was showing that there was a small box that was still yet to be opened. "All of the cups are in here. We need you to take them out, and then you can put them all on the table. Which we can fill out one at a time for the people coming here." After she was telling me this, I was then sighing a bit. I was thinking that I might as well just do this. I mean, it was going to take only a couple of minutes, and it was not all that fucking big of a deal in the first place.

I was slowly placing a few cups at a time on the table. In small sets of five, slowly letting the stacks be made of about ten cups a stack. When I was done, I was seeing the girl placing a small silver box on the table. She was looking right up at me, and I was seeing her looking like she wanted to say something else related to the sale and stuff. But then I was thinking that she was just going to hold back on that for the time being.

"What is your name?" She asked me, and I was looking at her, and while I was wanting to tell her off, there was a part of me that was thinking that she was kind of cute. And her being kind of cute was throwing me off, and no matter how much I wanted to tell her off, I could not do it. I just could not get myself to be a fucking asshole, no matter how much I was feeling the desire to do such a thing. "My name is Whitney. I have a twin sister named Victoria who helps me with this when we get to make a stand every year." She said, and then I was thinking that she was being a bit random, but there was nothing wrong with what she had been saying. She was not saying anything too awful.

"My name is Davis. I have a twin sister as well. Which I guess makes us have a common fact about my family. I was planning on hanging out with some friends and stuff, but I guess that there is nothing too awful about this." I said, and then after I said that to her, I had felt like I was just needing to find a way to make somebody who was as young as her be able to understand how to connect with somebody like me. But I was thinking that something like this was just not happening. I felt like it might have been best to just sort of give up on this whole thing.

"Do you hang out with your sister often?" She asked me, and then after she had asked me this question, I was just sort of thinking that maybe it would not be in the sense that she was thinking that it would. But I would be lying if I said that I had never hung out with her as well.

"I mean, I don't really do stuff like lemonade stands and stuff. But usually when the two of us are going out and doing something, the other one tags along. I don't really tag along to her friends. But she usually tags along with my friends all the damn time. I mean, it is not all that big of a deal." I said, and then I was just sort of thinking that maybe that was all that she needed to really know about my sister and stuff.

"Have you ever wanted to do something like a lemonade stand someday?" After she was asking me this question, I was sort of unsure of what the hell I was going to be telling her. I felt like this question was a bit strange, but at the same time, there was nothing wrong about her questions. She was thinking about just trying to get to know me, and she was doing nothing wrong by doing this for the time being.

"I mean, I never really thought about it too much. I just sort of thought about maybe trying to become popular at school and stuff like that. You know, simple stuff like this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what she was going to be telling me. If she was thinking about actually saying anything at all. I saw her just looking like she would not really have any real discussion to make here.

Before I could have said anything else, I was hearing some foot steps behind me, and I was looking right behind me. I was seeing a girl who was blonde hair coming right towards us. She looked like she was around Whitney's age, so this was probably meaning that she was Victoria, and I was wondering how their mother would feel about the fact that their nine year old twin daughters were hanging out with a twelve year old guy. A twelve year old guy who honestly thought that both of the sisters were actually decently good looking.

"Who is this boy that you're talking to?" Victoria asked me, and I was holding my hands up, as if thinking that if I did this, I could be able to get her to think that I was not really wanting to create any bad feelings and stuff. I was just feeling like I needed to say something to get her to think that this was actually going to be worth it.

"My name is Davis. I was told by your sister that there is something that she wanted me to help her out with. So I decided that I would give this a chance, and see how something like this could work." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was sort of unsure of what the hell I was even going to say now. I just felt like I was needing to understand what the problem she had was. But I did not really want to bother her too much on this.

"I just hope that mom does not get too angry with us doing this. I think that she might freak out if she is seeing us hanging out with boys and stuff." She said, and then she was looking at me, as if thinking that the idea of hanging out with older boys, against her mothers wishes, was just something that was truly exciting, and could be able to give her some purpose here.

"You guys should be hanging out with your friends. I think that they might be enjoying something like this. You know, working at a lemonade stand and stuff." I said, and I was thinking that maybe the way that I was saying this to them could have been able to them to be open with speaking up to me and telling me different aspects of life. "If you guys don't want to though, I guess that I won't be getting too rough with you about this." I said, and I was just unsure of what I was going to even say after that. Maybe there was no need to talk anymore.

"Well, we have some friends at school. But they live a decent distance away, so it is really hard to hang out with them during the summer. We have to set up a actual hang out with our parents before we could be able to actually accomplish anything." After Victoria had said that, she was sounding a bit sad, and she was clearly looking like she had wanted to know more. She was really hoping that there was going to be at least one or two chances to do a hang out with a real friend during the summer.

"When do you think that your school friends are going to actually want to see you guys during the summer, or do you think that they are already doing stuff on their own?" I asked, and I was just feeling like it was a real question, and that I was hoping that she was just not going to be too offended by my question. Even if I knew that it was a rather shitty question in all honesty.

"I think that there is barely anything that they do on their own. I mean, usually every year when we get back to school, they are complaining about all the things that they had wished that they did, bit lost out on. So I think that it is going to be totally fine." After she was saying that to me, I was sort of unsure of what I was going to be saying there. I was thinking that she was certainly confident and that I did not want to have Victoria lose out on that.

"Well, I need to be getting some extra materials for the event, so I will be back in a couple of minutes. You guys better behave." After Victoria was telling me this, I was seeing Whitney looking right at me. She was looking like she was damn glad to finally be able to just hang out with me without having to deal with anybody else now. Like everybody who had been coming along was just a bit annoying for her to deal with.

"She does stuff like that all the time. Always tries to get into really serious conversations. Often times ruins a lot of things. But I guess that it does not really matter all too much. It is just a part of the way that she is." After Whitney was saying this, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to find out something else to say now.

"I am not that worried about it. I mean, she is not too rude to me or anything. If she were to start to be a fucking dick to me, then that is when things are a bit of a issue. But for the time being, I don't really care all that much what they are feeling around me." I said, and then I was seeing her looking happy that I was not going to be treating her like a total piece of work at least for the time being. But then I was thinking about something else to say now.

"So Whitney, what do you guys do with the money that you guys save up here from your sales?" I asked, and then after I was asking her this, she was looking like she did not want much to say here. She was thinking that this question was just going to be making her feel like she was going to have to tell a really sad truth, that was going to make me feel like I would judge her or something like that.

"We were planning on doing a fifty fifty split. We each get half. But the thing is that we don't do this often. In fact, probably only once or twice a summer. And we do not ever get too much sold here. We always seem to fail on the sales in the long run, which sucks because we always want to get something going to show people that we care about this." After she had said that to me I was seeing her looking like she was a bit sad to say this. But at the same time, I was seeing her looking like she had wanted to say more. But that she was thinking it would not matter anymore.

"Don't worry about it. I am not that worried about it. I was just curious on how things were. I mean, I was thinking that you guys deserved something with how much you enjoyed it and stuff. So I thought that maybe there was something that was able to bring up your sales." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting me to continue fishing her on compliments. But it was time to finally get to selling, and I would see how much I was able to help them out on any of this, if I could be able to do that in the first place.

After the lemonade sale was done, I was going to start to head out once again, and I was just sort of unsure of if they were going to try and find a way to make me stay even longer. But in a way, I was just sort of unsure of what the hell I was even going to be doing now to make me stay around a bit longer. "Hey Davis, I was just wanting to thank you for helping us out right now." After she had said that to me, I was looked right at her, thinking that I needed to just be nice about this to her. I was feeling like perhaps when I was going to tell her off, she would get it.

"I knew that you were going to need the help, and I decided that I would just go ahead and help you out when you needed it more than anything else." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to find more to say. But at the same time, she was just looking like she wanted to say something to make me feel better. "I mean, I was not going to be in it for the benefits for me or anything. I just decided that I needed to do something to help you out when it was looking like there was a person that was desperate for the assistance." I finished, thinking that I was going to be totally fine with talking with them, but I was still wanting to go on and hang out with Chad and Andrew. To see if they were still willing to help me out in the first place. But a part of me was unsure of if they wanted to help out.

"I was wondering why you decided to stick around as long as you did. I mean, there was no real reason for you to do such a thing. We offered you to help us out, and you didn't need to say yes. But you had the patience and the generosity to be doing so. It make me so glad that you did that." After she was saying that to me, I was not really able to come up with a real answer, and a part of me was thinking that I was just going to have to not really say anything about this.

"I just thought that there was no real reason not to. I thought that you were going to need some help, so I was thinking that since I was here, I would just do it. No real giant motivation to this whole thing. I just wish that I knew how long it was going to be taking in order to have this whole stand sell out." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was then thinking that maybe she was going to feel bad for all the time that she had invested, and all the time that I had lost on here.

"Well, I'm sorry for taking so long here. I thought that you were not going to really have all that big of a problem with helping us out here. And it seems like this is true. So when it looked like you were fine with this, we thought that we would just use you for as long as we needed." Whitney had said to me, and then after she had said that to me, I was looking right at her, and I was just sort of feeling like she was trying too hard to get me to feel like she was sad over this. I mean, I was telling her that there was nothing wrong with what she had done, and she was just taking this way too seriously.

"I was thinking that maybe we could be able to meet up again. Would you be able to give that a go?" After Whitney asked me that, I was looking right at her, and I was thinking that maybe she was shooting too high on this. That this was where I was going to have to put my line down. But I was thinking that perhaps I was going to not be too rude with her. I was thinking that with how cute they were, and the fact that I was likely how pretty they were, that I would go along with this. That maybe I would give hanging out with them a couple of tries, and see if she would have anything to really benefit me on.

"Yeah, I think that I might be willing to give this a try. I mean, I don't really know what I will be able to make you seem like we have some form of common interests. Or something that can really keep this whole thing feeling like it is worth it." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was wondering what the hell I was even going to be saying to her. I did not think that any of this would matter too much. I felt like there was no point in trying to get her to start to see that this might have been a bad idea.

"Things are going to be fine. You do not need to sorry about that too much. Sorry for making you distracted from hanging out with your friends. I can tell that you had wanted to hang out with them and stuff. But we took that away." After she had said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what I was going to say to her. I was thinking that when she was bringing this up, and she was showing awareness to this, she was only making this worse, rather than making it any better.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, as much as I don't really want to admit it, I am thinking that they might not really even like me all that much. Which just makes me feel like I am sort of trying to do something with no real benefit in the end." I said, and then after I was done telling her that, I was thinking that Whitney needed to just let the subject go, and then I would feel like I could be able to have some time to not be super pissed off about this whole thing.

"Well, good luck getting them to like you. I hope that this works out." Whitney said, and I was thinking that she did not really need to be so worried about this whole thing. I was just thinking that perhaps I was needing to find a way to tell her what I was thinking about, and when I would do this, she would finally find a way to say something to me that could actually help me out, rather than her just saying shit that was making me feel like was only making the matter worse.

"I will do what I can to make it work. I don't really know what I can say to it besides that. I just feel like I need to find a way to make them see that I am not all that bad of a guy." I said, and I was just sort of finding something to say in my mind that can make it all seem like it would matter. I was thinking that when I was going to find Chad and Andrew, then the two of them were going to find a way to be making me feel like the bad guy and stuff. But I guess that something like this was just going to sort of happen sooner or later anyways.

"See you around. Maybe we can meet Chad and Andrew and see if they are good guys or not." After she had said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what to tell her to make her feel like this was a terrible idea. I mean, this was probably one of the worst things she was going to possibly suggest, and I think that it was just going to fail more than anything. But a part of me did not want to break her down over this.

"Well, I don't know quite yet. Maybe at some point, when they are hanging out with me more, and I can tell that they don't dislike me too much or anything, then I might be willing to show you them. But for the time being, I just need to find a way to get them to like me first. And I think that when they like me, then I can slowly try to get them to be open about hanging out with you." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was wondering what I was going to even say now. I did not think that this would matter all that much. She was not going to buy into it, no matter what I was wishing to say.

About three or four days later, I was thinking that maybe I could be able to give the whole Chad and Andrew thing another try. I did not know if such a thing was going to really work in my favor. But in a way, I was just not even caring. I was wanting to try at least, and I was thinking that I was just thinking to myself that there was a very good chance that Mabel was going to find me, and she was going to try and join along with this, and she was going to make a way to make me feel like I had no choice but to do something like this.

I was just going to be walking to the skating ring, and I was not going to let anybody, not even Whitney or Victoria, regardless of reason, tell me not to do this, and I was thinking that I needed to finally just see what they were going to be able to offer me, and if they were even wanting to help me out. I was thinking that the worst that would come out of them not wanting to help out is that they can just tell me as they had felt, and then I could get over it in a moment or two, and everything was going to be all fine and like it had never really been much of a issue.

I was thinking that if Mabel really cared so much about seeing me, she would have probably come along and tried to get me to let her come along in the first place. I was thinking that she would have just given herself away and then in order to not come off as a asshole, I would have no choice but to just let her come along. Which would have been a bit annoying to deal with. But as long as she was quiet about it, I would never yell at her too badly over this.

Eventually, I was getting near the ring, and I was seeing that Chad was sitting down on a board, and I was wondering what I could say to them to make them feel more in the mood to interact with me. I was just feeling like I was going to sort of be lost on any real material to get this conversation to have any depth. But I decided not to be too worried about it, so with that, I was walking right towards the guy, and I was just telling myself not to be sounding too annoying, and to sound like I was just a normal guy.

"Hey, remember when we met a few days ago?" I asked, and even to myself I knew that it sounded wrong. I was seeing Chad looking like he was unsure of how to feel about seeing me here in the first place. As if he was thinking that there was no way that he was actually going to really expect me here. Since I had shown no interest in the whole fucking idea of going out and learning how to skate and stuff.

"Yeah, I was not expecting to see you here though. I thought that you were not going to be super serious about the whole learning how to do this. Or the wanting to hang out more or anything." After Chad had said that to me, I was wondering what I would say to him to make him look like he was totally cool with this. He was trying to make it look like he did not have any issues with me now.

"Well, I was thinking that the worst that could come out of this is just looking a little bit like a idiot. That stuff already happens decently often." I said, and I was hoping that he was going to be finding it amusing that I would be acting like this. But at the same time, I was just thinking that I would need to come off as a slightly casual and careless guy if I were to actually get him to like me. Even though I myself was not even able to know why I cared so much what he was thinking of me.

"Where is your friend Andrew?" I asked, and he was actually looking like he was impressed that I remembered their name for some reason. I did not get why they were shocked that I would remember what his fucking name was, but at the same time, I was thinking that I was not going to be saying anything. I wanted to not look like I was annoyed with them treating me like a fucking idiot and stuff. But then Chad was looking like he was sort of putting that behind me, and that he would just give me what the real answer was, for my own sake.

"He is just doing some house work. He will be back soon enough. I think that he would not really expect to see you here. I think that he would probably just assume that you were going to quit this whole thing before you even gave it a chance." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him starting to hold up the skateboard to me. Almost like he was just wanting to see me try some stuff out. I did not know what to say, but I was thinking that I was not going to let him down because I did not want to lose any sort of chance to look like I might have been cool to him.

"Well, if you really want me to try this out, then I guess that I could give it a try." I said, and then I was sort of just thinking that I would try to see what it would be like if I gave this a go, and then after I was done with that, I would just show him that this was just not going to work. And that he was just trying too hard to get me into something that I would not be able to really do. "You know, I just wish that I actually knew how to do this so that way I would not look like a total loser."

But I decided that I would not say anything more on this and I was getting on the board. As I was starting to skate down the ring, I lasted only like five or six seconds before I landed on the ground and then I was feeling a good amount of pain for a couple of seconds. Then I was looking right at Chad. He was looking at me, and he was almost looking like he was wanting to find something to say to make me feel like I was not totally lost on this. "Damn, how do you guys handle doing this stuff without getting in pain and stuff?" I asked, and then I was looking right at Chad, wondering what he was going to be telling me here.

"Oh trust me, the first few times that it happened, I fucking hated it too. I just decided that I would rather keep failing but use that as a chance to get better than anything else. I wanted to do good, and that was the main reason that I did not ever lose any form of motivation here." After he had said that to me, I was seeing Chad looking like he was interested in seeing me give it another go. For a moment, I decided that I was not wanting to do it. But I decided that I would give it a go, and just skate for a bit longer, to see how I could handle this.

So as I was skating around, I was thinking more and more about what I would actually do. I was just trying to look like I was having some form of idea of what I was doing. I was not doing very good at all, but I was lasting some period of time. I was lasting about fifteen seconds or so, which was much longer than I would have ever been able to think I could have done it.

I was holding the board after the second failure, and I was just sort of wanting to find something else to say now. Something to make it look like I was never going to be let down by this type of constant failure. But I was thinking that there was no point in lying about it. If it was annoying to me, then I was going to have every right to just sort of say it, and he could help me out here. He would be able to sort of get me along in the correct path as a result.

When I was done, and I had felt like I was getting close to finally understanding what the hell I was supposed to be doing, I was then seeing Andrew coming along, and he was looking like this whole set up was not even getting to him all that badly. I was thinking that perhaps he was just going to not even notice that I was there, unless if I took the time to make it more vocal and stuff. Which I was feeling like I really did not need to be doing. I was thinking that I would have been fine the way that I was here. I did not need to make it seem like I was wanting to force him into something, to make him think that I could actually be somewhat of a cool guy.

"So you came back? I thought that you were just going to run off and act like this conversation never happened." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was ready to be seeing what I would say. Ready to see if there was a chance that I was going to sort of break down and stuff. I was thinking that I just needed to not make any real issues on this, and that I would be fine as a result.

"But seriously, I guess that I should not have been too shocked that you were going to come back. I mean, you were always just wanting to look like you could be able to handle this." After he had said that, he was thinking that he was not going to be saying anymore, as he had felt like he had made his point in this whole discussion. I was thinking that maybe if I would talk for a bit, he would be getting over it, and we would just try to find a way to speak about more interesting things.

"Anyways, so Chad was showing me around on the board for a bit. I was not really getting it, but I guess that I was not looking like a total idiot for most of the time." I said, and I was thinking that maybe that statement was going to be enough to get him to think that I did have a chance. "I mean, I will never reach your levels, but I am just trying to get to a level where I could be able to skate without falling down on my ass over and over again." I was then starting to get up, and I was thinking that I would hand Chad the board, and then that way, he could continue to be able to do what he was enjoying so far.

"Well, I won't be saying anything. I guess that if you try hard enough on something, then it can work. I mean, I was sort of the same way myself. So I guess that I should not be getting on your case too badly." After he had said that to me, he was sort of unsure of if he was wanting to say anything else. Or if he was thinking that we had already made our points here. That I did not need to continue to go down at this discussion.

"So what do you guys do besides staying out at the skating ring?" I asked, thinking that they would not bring me along, but I was also hoping that there was going to be a small chance that they would decide that being open here was not going to be the worst thing in the world. So with that, Chad nodded, as if ready to try and bring me down into this path of theirs.

"Well, usually after we are done at the skating ring, we usually go to our houses where we play our families Magnavox Odysseys." After Chad told me that, I was feeling my eyes grow, and I was feeling like this was what I needed. I wanted to see that system. If they were going to be giving me a chance to actually show them that I was not a totally stupid failure. I was wanting to see what games were even going to be available to check out.

"That sounds really awesome. How did you get your parents to go out and get that stuff for you in the first place? Considering the fact that this stuff costs a fucking fortune." I was feeling like I was just truly unsure, and I was feeling like I was going to have to find a way to get that money of my own. I mean, I knew that such a thing was impossible. But I wanted to see if his parents were just really rich.

"Our parents are kind of wealthy. Nothing like you see with the majority of the people who work here. But they still have enough to buy some cool gifts every year. Especially when the two of us both don't have any siblings, so they only have to buy for one person every year. That already sort of condenses that spending money very well." After Andrew said that, he was wondering what I was going to be saying. If I was going to want to join in on this, and see what type of games that they have, or if I would be respectful about keeping myself mildly away.

"We don't really show too many people or stuff. You know, since we do not want people to just think that we are some hoggers and stuff. But I guess that if you wanted to go and see what type of stuff we have to offer, that this would not be all that terrible of a idea." After Chad told me this, I was then looking like this might be my best chance to be able to get somewhere with this. To get some people to actually want to go out and speak to me a bit more.

"I would really enjoy to see what these games you have are." I said, and then after I had said that, I was sort of wondering what was going to be happening now. I just felt like perhaps when I would see these games, these two guys were going to be more respectful to me there. That they were going to be seeing that maybe on gaming at least or whatever, I could be kind of fun. I mean, I did not know if this was going to happen. But I felt like it was worth a fucking try at least.

"We will show you our houses now. Just don't go too crazy. We don't want our parents to think that you are some random and clingy guy and stuff." They said, and then I was slowly nodding, feeling bad that they had said something like this. Almost thinking that there was actually a valid point to what he had said. And that I should just try to make it look like I was sort of calm at least at first, to make them think I was not like that.

As I was following them, I was excited. I was wanting to finally see what they were going to show me. I was wanting to see how I could handle myself at the games. I truly thought that this was going to be what I needed to finally have fun for once. I felt like I was going to be getting these guys to like me if I played well. If I was just not going to be rough, and I was going to be a social able guy who would not seem too rough going and would actually play things in my favor. I mean, I knew in hindsight how deeply I was looking into every tiny little thing. But when I was at my moment, I was just too deep into feeling like I would be the cool guy.

"How long have you guys even been hanging out with each other?" I asked, and I was just feeling like I needed to know what was keeping these two thinking that hanging out still for such a period was worth it. I was wanting to know the bond that these people had formed over the years.

"Probably since like fourth grade. About three years or so at the end of this school year. I think we just sort of clicked, and we decided not to be ruining something that was looking like it actually kind of was working." After Chad had said that to me, I was seeing him thinking that what he had said was a good covering on the subject. We reached the door to his house, and I was feeling like things were going to become much more exciting when we were finally going to be in there, finally doing something interesting for ourselves.

As I was right about to go inside, I was seeing somebody come by who I was shocked at. I had no idea what I was going to be expecting when I saw Mabel coming by. But despite what I was expecting to see here, I was seeing her looking like she was just kind of sad that I did not bring her along with this right away. As if she had felt like she had deserved something better.

"Hey Mabel, how are you right now?" I asked, and then after I was asking her this, I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to find something to say. "I was going to be hanging out with them for a bit. You know, see what they have to offer and stuff." After I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was a bit excited.

I was looking at the two guys, and I was seeing them looking like they did not know what they were supposed to be saying. They were unsure of if they were really wanting her around. But at the same time, she had not really done anything to really prove that she should not be around, and having her tag along once or twice was just something that was probably going to be expected when you have a sibling like Mabel.

"Can I come along and watch?" She asked, and she was looking like the expression she had shown on her face was going to be cheerful enough to make this whole thing worth it. I mean, I did not know if I was fully convinced on this whole thing a bit. But at the same time, I felt like she was not going to be making things any worse by just simply saying yes to her question. So I shrugged and decided that I would go with it.

"Yeah, I guess that there is nothing too awful with you coming and watching. If Chad and Andrew are going to be fine with this." I said, and then I was seeing Chad and Andrew looking like they were just sort of going to just accept this offer. And that maybe in a way, one of them could be able to hook up with Mabel, and see if she was kind of hot and stuff. To sort of see if she was going to be a good first girlfriend. And when she was dating them, when they would go to the school for the first time, even if she was a bit of a strange person, that this was going to be worth it to increase their social status.

"You can come." Andrew answered, and Mabel was really looking so happy at this statement. With this, she was coming right towards the house door, and I was looking right at Andrea and Chad. I was sort of thinking that this gaming session was going to be a lot of fun, and that everything about the gaming session was going to finally keep this together.

Once we were inside of the Chad's house, I was seeing that there was a television plugged into the living room. I was thinking that this whole thing was very obvious, and I was wondering if the system was plugged into the living room, or if the system was inside of his bedroom, where we could be able to play there, and perhaps be able to get away with doing our own thing, and not have to increase the chances of annoying parents.

"I've had this for about a year or two or something. I mean, I just remember getting it and being really excited for my birthday. I just wanted to play it right away, and I plugged it in right away, and I was so excited to play that I was barely spending any time waiting to play. So when I realized that I could play right away, I was just starting to play through and run through each of them as many times as I could, to increase my score as much as possible." Chad said, and I was seeing him looking like he was actually kind of proud of himself. I was thinking that since I did not get the full context of it, I would not be able to say much. But if he was feeling like this was worth it, I would not say anything against what he does.

"Well, when did you start playing with yours Andrew?" I asked, and I was thinking that maybe as long as I was keeping the subject related to this, and not Mabel being here, or the skating, then I could be able to sound like we were going to be getting along well along enough. "I have never played one before. Always kind of wanted one for a birthday or something. But it seemed like something like this is just not going to happen."

"I have been playing for a few months now. I got one recently as a result of good behavior in school. I was thinking that as long as I was going to be good in school, they would get me one, so even if I hated going to school, I would just put it up and put in a good game and then that way my parents would be proud of me, and then they would feel no choice but to get something for me. I felt like it was what I needed." After Andrew said that, I was feeling like maybe I could be able to start to follow his influence a bit, and just behave well during the summer.

We were sitting down on the couch, and I was seeing Mabel sitting down next to me. "What is it about these games that are so exciting? I mean, I have never seen something like this before, so I am just trying to get the hype that is all around it." After she had said that to me, I was looking right at her, and I was sort of thinking that I had no idea how I could be able to describe it in a good fashion that could make her understand.

"I think that if I were to try to explain what is so awesome about it, I would never be able to fully get it explained. I think that you would have to start to see it for yourself, for you to be able to fully get it." Chad said, and then he was smiling at this statement, and I was wondering what the games were going to be like, and I was thinking that maybe Mabel and I could be able to learn the truth to this together.

Chad was walking to his television set, and he pressed the button to turn it on, and then he pressed the button to turn the system on. After he had done that, he was looking at us, and the smile on his face was looking extremely proud of what he was about to show us, as if thinking that this was all that he needed to do to finally get us to like him.

He was holding the controller, and he was pressing the start menu, and he was playing the game that he was wanting us to witness. I was having no fucking clue what the hell the game was, and I was barely able to pay attention to it. I was just sort of excited at the prospect of something like this happening, and being able to watch that I was just wanting to see what the game was actually able to present me. I was not giving a shit about simple stuff like plot or anything. Since that would just be paying too much attention to something that let's face it, at the time, was not even really a thing in gaming.

Once he had played for about an hour or two, he had finished, and I was looking at Mabel. I was seeing her looking like she had a mixed feelings of emotions on her face. "I have never been so confused, and yet so enthralled by something that I am watching on a TV." After she had said that to me, I was shrugging, as if feeling like this was a valid point and that I just needed to find a way to get her to fully comprehend what she had just seen.

"I think that you will get into this soon enough. Just take it easy, and over the months you will see what the hype around it all is and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, wondering what I was even going to say now. But despite this, I was just sort of excited to be seeing what else was going to be shown to me.

I was glad that at the end of the night, I actually had a decent amount of fun, and I did not feel like I was spending too much time worried about things that I was not really ready for at all. I actually felt like I was finally going to slowly be accepted by that friend group, which was really great for me. A couple of days after this, I was standing outside, and I was seeing Victoria near by. I mean, I did not know if I should approach them, or if they were just wanting me to sort of mind my own business. I was feeling like either outcome was very likely, and I needed to just be prepared for whatever it was going to be.

Despite this, I decided that I would at least be nice, and say hello to her, and see what she would try to say after that. And if she was going to reject this moment of being nice, then I guess that maybe that would be a indicator that this was supposed to just be a one time thing, and nothing that I should even pretend to be used to. "Hey, how are you today? Are you and Whitney going to work on that lemonade stand again?" I asked, and I was thinking that as long as I was cordial with her, there was no real reason for her to turn me down, and to brush me off or anything like that.

"I doubt that we are going to be doing that again right away. I think that we want to wait a week or two, to increase our chances of actually getting some real sales. But what have you been up to? Did you meet with those guys that you mentioned earlier?" She asked me, and I decided I would be next to her, and we could talk, and I would be nice to her for a while longer, since I was thinking that perhaps she was not so bad of a girl after all. I was thinking that I needed to give her a chance when it was just the two of us.

"Yeah, I did meet with them. They tried to teach me to skate for a bit, and to see what I could be able to pull off. But it did not really go quite as well as I was planning. I kept failing over and over again. It was kind of annoying. But at the same time, I am enjoying what was happening, and I did appreciate the event. Then after that, they decided that they were going to show me some other things, and I decided that I might as well just give this a go." I said, and then after I said that, I was wondering what I was going to be saying to her here.

"Well, I am glad that you had fun at least. Makes me feel better about my sister spending all the time with you." She said, and then I was seeing her looking like she felt slightly guilty, but at the same time, I was seeing her looking like she had felt like this was just a sacrifice that would have to be made in order to get some good sales going on.

"I mean, at least she was nice about it. If she was rude about it, I would have just told her off, and I would have said something like I had no interest with this whole event." I said, and I was wondering what I would be able to say now. But at the same time, I was feeling like she was just trying to show interest in something she did not care about, and I did not want her to feel like she was being forced into this whole thing.

"Well, she had never been one to try and be rude about things. She has always been somebody who had looked out for others, almost to a fault. I mean, there is a strength to that I guess." After Victoria was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like in a way, she was actually proud of her sister. I was thinking that if I were to ever reach that level with Mabel, I would be finally feeling like everything would be better. I wanted to be proud of Mabel, and I wanted to have more feelings of gratitude than just simple liking her.

I eventually reached where the house was, and she was looking at me. "Don't tell Whitney that I said that. If you try to let her know that I had said that to you, then I would just deny it. I don't want her to be getting in over her head." She said, and then I was sighing, thinking that I might as well just not argue with her on this. She was already feeling like she had said too much for her own good, if people knew what she was actually saying and thinking of her sister.

"I would not worry about that too much. I would think that maybe she would like it if somebody she knew was feeling that way. It would probably make her feel like there is some good that is coming out of her personality." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was then seeing Whitney coming out of her house. She was looking like she was glad to see me. Like she was just wanting to take that as a victory of its own or something.

"Davis, I was not expecting to see you coming back here." She said, and she was looking like she was just wanting to take this as a chance to really get to hang out with me more. Which was most of the main reason that I had come by in the first place. But then I was thinking about what I should even be saying. There was not too much material that I could come up with, even though I was thinking that she would want me to say more.

"Well, I saw your sister along the way, and I was just thinking that I would at least see how you guys were doing." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was just wondering what the main point to my statement was going to be. I had no idea why I was pushing any of this anyways. "I just thought that you were probably going to want to hang out at some point anyways, since you seemed to enjoy that whole thing very much." Once I was done, I felt like I did not need to say a damn word more to this.

"So, how are things right now?" I asked, and then after I had asked her this, I was seeing Whitney looking like she was just thinking about the best way to respond. As if she was almost wanting to lie to me and come up with some great story of how much she was doing in her personal time. She then shrugged, as if caving into the truth or something.

"They're alright. You are right, I was kind of hoping that we could be able to meet again sometime soon, but I did not want to force anything onto you, since I was not sure if you were really all that big of a fan of helping us out and stuff." After Whitney said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was kind of feeling a small amount of regret to what she was saying, like she had wanted to apologize for something but did not know if she needed to.

"It really is not that big of a deal. I mean, I don't know if they were going to be there anyways or not. So I guess that maybe in a way, there might be some good that can some out of this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was still not convinced. But that she was just hoping that no matter what, we could be able to still hang out a bit longer.

"Well, now that you are here, and you sought us out, is there something that you might like to do with us today?" Whitney asked me, and then I was unsure of what I was going to respond with. I mean, I did do that, and I guess that in a way, I did not want to hang, but at the same time, I was not sure if I was ready for this. I was just hoping she was not going to be annoyed with my lack of response. But I decided not to make a issue out of it, and I just shrugged a bit, as if feeling like I just needed to take the chance that she was giving me as it was, and see what I could do to have some fun now.

As I had accepted the idea of getting to chill with her for a bit longer, I was wondering what we were even going to be doing now. I was seeing Whitney looking like she was having some fun ideas of what we could possibly be doing. Even when I was still not sure what she was wanting to do right now. I was thinking that perhaps I was just needing to find something that could keep Whitney seeming to be excited to hang out with me. "So I think that perhaps I can show you the park. The park is a lot of fun, and I like to hang out with some of my friends after school a bit." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that I was just going to have to see what she liked about the park so much. "When was the last time that you hung out at the park?" She asked, and I had to think about it for a bit, truly unsure of what the answer was.

"The last time I was here was about a year or so ago. I don't know. I mean, I did not really like going there alone, since when nobody was around, I was always feeling like there was just something that I was missing out on, and I hated that. I hated feeling like I was truly alone." I said, and then after I had said that to the twins, I was wondering if they were going to feign some pity for me, or if they were actually thinking that something like this was sad and terrible. I would not know with people like them.

"That sucks. I mean, I wouldn't want to know what it would be like to not have any real friends to go and hang out at the park with. Usually I come here about once a week or so." After Whitney said that to me, I was looking right at Victoria, just wondering what she was going to be saying to the matter. I was feeling like maybe Victoria had various other methods of entertainment.

"I sometimes come along with Whitney. About once a month or something. I just usually hang out with other friends at school, or during the summer, once every few weeks at a sleepover." Victoria was saying to me, and I was thinking that maybe she had a better form of entertainment that way. If she was actually having some friends who she would have sleep overs with. I just had to think of a way to ask my next question without seeming like a weird bloke getting into her business.

"What was the last time that you had a sleep over?" I asked, and then I realized that I did not need to worry about asking her this question, since something like this was not a bad question at all. I was then thinking that maybe I could talk about it. "I usually only sleep over at peoples places during the summer, and even then it is only once or twice in that. I haven't really had such a thing yet." I said, and then after I had told her this, Victoria seemed to think that maybe I needed the social life improvement.

"The last time that I slept over with somebody was a few days ago. I think like two days before we met you." Victoria answered, and she was sounding so much happier when she was thinking about something like that. She was seeming to think that those sleep overs were the best part of her summer. And that she was going to be really excited for the next one that she was going to have. "Although I usually don't know when they are going to happen next unless if my friend basically just approaches me and tells me that they want to do it."

"Well, at least you get to do stuff like that. I really hope that I get to try something like this at least once during my break. I mean, that would be making things so much more exciting, and a lot more fun if I can actually go out and stay the night or something." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then thinking about that. I was thinking about what I had missed out on compared to her.

"I mean, it is probably going to be fine to ask your parents and stuff. I doubt that your parents are really going to be all that against you going out for the night to some people." After Victoria said that, she was just feeling like this was a perfectly valid point, and I was thinking that she was probably right, and that there was nothing wrong with at least trying this out.

"I don't know. I mean, I am just scared that when I ask, they are going to tell me that something like this can't be done. But you're probably right. I think that maybe I am being silly." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering if they were going to agree with that. Or if they were going to act like I just needed to keep a open mind and that trying was the only bad part of this. "I think that maybe it would not really hurt to try once or twice a summer though. Since that usually is how it can work out." After I was done saying that, I felt like I was not really needed to say anything else here.

"It really does not matter all that much. The worst thing that can come out of this is just them saying no." I sighed, and then we were getting close to the park, and I was feeling like when we were at the park, then I could think about some other things to do. "Whitney, how often do you have sleep overs? I mean, probably not as much as Victoria, but still, you probably have some of them."

"Probably once a month or so. But the difference between Victoria and I is that I sometimes have them during the school year to and not just during the summer or breaks, since I feel like one night every four weeks or so is not really all that big of a deal." She said to me, and then after she told me this, she had looked right at me, and she was thinking that those were the only parts she liked of the month. "I mean, usually I am excited for them, since I don't ever want to lose my time with my friends and stuff."

"Well, I think that as long as you have fun, that is what really matters the most." I said, and then after I had said that to her, we were sitting down on the swings, and then I was smiling a bit at the thought of the swings, and how silly I was back in the day. "When I was younger, I would usually sick from the swings. I mean, I could not believe that this thing ever really made me feel as sick as it ever did." I said, and then after I was telling her this, I was thinking about the fact that it was making me sound stupid. "I mean, it is not as bad as I thought it was once, but I still hated it."

"What about the swings made you feel so sick going on them? Was it the constant back and fourth motions you would have to take?" Victoria asked, and after she had said that, I was seeing her stop and thinking about it a bit more, and then she laughed at that moment. "Okay, I guess when I see it that way, I could be able to see why they would make you sick after all. I just never thought much of that before." I was laughing back, thinking deep down that these two young girls were just fine people, and were never mean in any way.

"Thanks for hanging out with us again Davis. It really makes me happy to know that you do not dislike us or anything like that. But I guess that maybe you should try to find something else that you can enjoy here." After Whitney had said that to me, I was seeing that there was a car about a block away, and there was a man sitting behind the wheel and he had looked like he was just wanting to see what we were going to say. I was seeing him really thinking about what to do now. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe I just needed to find something else to do to make sure nothing happened to them.

"Don't worry about it honestly. Everything is going to be fucking fine. There is nothing that is bothering me here." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was just sort of wanting to find something to make her feel better about this. I was then thinking that I was just needing to finally mention what I had noticed, and if I would get them to see what the problem behind this entire thing really was. I was hoping that they were not try to argue with how serious it was.

"There is a car over there. And there is something that he is doing. Such as watching us and probably trying to find something to record. I don't know. I just have a feeling like there is something that is going to come out of this." I said, and I was seeing Whitney and Victoria looking like they were sort of finally able to understand what I was looking at, and I was hoping that the two of them were wanting to find a way out of here, but did not really know how to make it work.

"Davis, if there is something that happens, will you be willing to protect us?" After Victoria had asked me this question, I knew that she was saying it with utmost sincerity, and that she was really wanting to find a way to get through with this whole issue. I knew that there was no way in hell that I was going to let her down. To do so was to be creating one of the worst acts in my entire life.

"I can try my best to protect you guys. I mean, I don't know if it can work though. I mean, I am scared out of my mind too. But you guys look like you probably need the help even more than I do, so I can do whatever I can to make it all work out." I said, and then I was starting to finally feel like I could be responsible for something that I did not really know that I could handle. But I felt like it was worth a try if for nothing else. To see if it could work out.

"Do you think that he could actually want anything to do with us?" Victoria asked, and I was wanting to know if I could be able to tell her the truth. Or if what I would say would be a lie, even if I had not intended for such a thing to be the case. But I was thinking that one way or another, I was going to have to try and find something that can keep this together.

"I don't know if something like this is going to happen. I think that it is worth just being careful on though. I mean, if something is about to happen, I can see what I would do to make sure that you be safe, and I think that perhaps I need to find a way to get your parents to be aware of what is actually happening here." I said, and I was just wanting to find something to say to keep them from freaking out. I was standing up, looking right at Victoria and Whitney.

"I think that perhaps we just need to get the fuck out of here. Like going to your your house. And if we see him driving along, then I think that there might be something valid to people coming along here." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two girls, I was seeing the girls looking like they were unsure of if this was actually going to help. But they were willing to listen to me.

"Yeah, I guess that maybe this is going to work. I think that maybe we are just a bit worried about nothing. But I just don't really know." After Whitney said that, I was seeing her finally looking like she was just willing to grasp the fact that this was seeming to be a bit silly, but that when she was just looking at the moment, in a way, she was just not giving a fuck how silly it was sounding.

The two of us were walking along to the girls house. And as we had gotten up and were walking for a few feet, I was hearing something like the car starting up. At that point, there had to have been something going on. I knew that I needed to fucking keep myself together as much as possible. Because this whole situation was fucking ridiculous, and I was thinking that I just needed to actually keep myself calm now.

As we were getting closer to Victoria's house, I was then looking at her. "Well, I guess that if for nothing else, we can find something interesting to talk about with our friends and family in the future. All we have to do is just not freak out enough to make it look like we are just actually keeping this together." I was saying, and I sounded like I was just trying to really convince myself of this more than anything, but that I just could not really know.

Eventually, we reached the front entrance to their house, and I was looking right at them, as if thinking that what I was going to be saying was going to be totally serious. "Do not under any situation get out of this house tonight. If you wait it off for another few hours, I think that everything is going to be fine, but until then just wait until you are sure." I said, and I was seeing them looking like they were still unsure of what to even say at that moment.

"I will be going home. I will see if that guy is still around. And maybe I will see that none of this is happening, and we can just be fine and realize that we are being stupid." I said, and I was unsure of how likely that was going to be, but at the same time, I did not really even care.

As I was seeing them getting inside of the house, I was seeing them looking as if they were just wanting to feel better about what was going on, but they really were just not sure at all what to be feeling. But I was just going on home, and I was feeling like everything would be fine. I had hoped that there wasn't really anything going on at all, but that I was just sort of over hyping something really small and silly. I was thinking that this would be the case.

I was seeing that the black car was starting to drive by a bit, and I was starting to think that there was a good chance that something was going to be happening soon with that driver, and I was thinking that perhaps when I would see what he was wanting, I could finally be able to have some idea of how to keep this together. But I was thinking that it was really not all that big of a deal what people were trying to do to me, but it was going to be a huge deal what people were going to be doing to those girls, since those girls deserved something better than what had been going on with them this whole time.

Eventually, I reached the house, and I was looking back at the house where Whitney and Victoria had lived, and I saw the black car slowly drive by the block a couple of times. Once when I was on the front step, and the second time when I went inside, feeling like when I was standing back and watching then that car was going to start to feel more open about doing what they had wished, and they could finally start to make some real advances on that goal of theirs.

As I was sitting back, and I saw them driving off again after three rounds of the block, I was then sighing, and then I was going inside of the house, feeling like everything was going to really be pushing my luck, and making me feel scared, not just for those girls, but for myself and my general well being. As silly as something like this might be sounding.

Eventually, I was sighing a bit, and I was going to my room, and I was just thinking that as long as I was in my room, and on my bed, then everything was finally going to be fine. And I did not really think that as long as I was keeping things calm and together, that it would be a issue. I was just telling myself to calm down, and that I was over reacting. I mean, there was no way something like this was actually happening, and I was being stupid for even pretending that there was such a thing.

About three days later, I was finally talking to my parents about hanging out with some friends more, and see what they are even really going to actually think about this whole thing. "Yeah, I guess that you can go. I mean, there is no real reason to say no to you." After my mother had said that, she had looked at my father, and she was wondering what he would say to the matter. He was looking right up at me, just thinking of something he would say to me to get his point across.

"Just don't get into any trouble." He said, and then he took a heavy moan, and then asked me another question. "So Davis, who are they people anyways? Are we ever going to be meeting them?" After he had asked me this, I looked down, thinking that he was going to be finding a way to make me feel bad for not telling him the truth or anything. But I did not think that there was any need to lie to him, since he was just asking a regular old question.

"They are some people that I met during the summer. Their names are Chad and Andrew. I heard that they were willing to hang out with me and stuff, and I decided that I would go along with it." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking at me, as if thinking that there was no real need to explain any more to this subject. As I was seeing him just sort of accepting what he had heard, he was then just going back to his paper.

"Well, I hope that we get to meet them some day. And you better hold to your end of the deal." After he had said that to me, I was then gulping, thinking about the fact that he was setting my up with this whole thing. But then I was just looking at the door, and I was thinking that when he had given me the go, I could be able to just head on out, and not deal with this debate anymore, when I felt like he was going to be leaving me alone.

"I am going to be heading on out now. I don't think that they will want to wait too long for me or anything like that." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was going right to the door of the house. I was not wasting any time at this, and I was going to be going to their house, and I was going to love it. I wanted to take the most of it that I could, no matter what we were going to be doing. I knew that they must have had something fun to do when I was going to be there, so I did not have any worries.

As I was out of the house, I was finally feeling like once again I had some liberty again. I felt like finally there was something good to be having in my summer. That there was something fun for once. I did not think too much of it, and I was thinking that if I was going to be here for a long time, I was going to change my mind, and be worried that they were going to make fun of me. I did not want to be dealing with such a thing, so I decided that I was just going to be going to their house, and I was going to just make the most of it as I could.

I was thinking about what I was going to be able to do when I was going to meet them, and that they were just going to be trying to show me some random things. I did not know if I was going to be ready for any of this though. And I did not know if I was going to fully enjoy every single thing that we were doing. But at the same time, I was thinking that it was still going to be a fun night regardless, and that I did not need to worry much about any of the smaller details.

I was thinking that there was a very real chance that Mabel was going to try and find her way to join this whole thing. I mean, I knew that it was just her trying to reach out, buy at the same time, I was sort of not wanting her to do this. I was wanting her to just, for lack of a nicer way of saying it, mind her own damn business. I mean, I was being rude about it, but I just wanted to not deal with her always trying to get into the whole event, and it was rather annoying to be honest.

I was getting close to their house, and the closer that I was getting to where they were, the more that I was thinking that this was going to be a rather exciting time. I mean, there was no way that they were going to be turning me down last minute. If they were going to do such a thing, I was just going to find a way to make them regret what they were doing. I was not going to let something like this happen. Since I was thinking that I had gone too far in this summer to let such a thing happen.

Eventually, I got to their door, and then I knocked on it for a bit. When I finished my knock, I saw them answer the door, looking at me as if wondering what I was going to be doing now. "Hey, I was wondering if you were going to be coming by at some point. I was just thinking about what we could do." Chad said, and he was looking like there was a slight smile on his face, although I had no idea what the context was, and I was not worried about that at all.

"I was just thinking that I would come by. I hope that your parents are cool with that type of stuff." After I had said that to him, he was waving his hand at me, as if thinking that this really was not all that big of a deal, and that I was just being too worried about this. I wanted to believe that he was right, but at the same time, part of me was just feeling unsure about this entire situation.

"I don't think you need to worry about my parents too much. They are barely ever here in the first place. I doubt that they are suddenly going to care if you show up or something." After he had said that to me, he let me inside of the house, where I was going to just enjoy the moment as much as possible. I felt like when I was doing this, it was going to be all that I fucking needed. I thought that there was certainly no way that he was going to be too mean to me or anything.

"I just don't want them to be coming along, and telling you that they don't want you to hang out with me or something silly like that." After I had said that to him, he was looking at me, as if thinking that I was too worried about nothing at all, and that I was just needing to relax the hell out, and that I was being too paranoid about something that I had no real reason to be paranoid on anyways. I was telling myself to just listen to him for now.

"I mean, if they are going to care so much, I think that they would probably just be trying to reach out too much. I think that they would be trying too hard to get me to have a more contained social life or something. It is not really going to matter. Anyways, so Andrew is going to be here shortly, and when he shows up, he will probably be willing to get right down to the hanging." After he had said that to me, I was then nodding feeling like I was going to be totally fine with that.

"So anyways, what do you have planned right now?" I asked, feeling like I could be able to get him to reveal something to me. Give me some hint at what was happening. Despite what I was trying to accomplish here, he was just looking at me, and showed me to his couch, where he was feeling like I would be able to get right to the action as we were waiting for Andrew to show up, and add something to the mix.

About five to ten minutes later, that was when there was a knock on the door, and Chad went on and answered it to see that Andrew was there, and when that was official, he came right in, and he was looking like he was willing to get right to the exciting stuff. I was wondering if he was wanting to hang out with Chad alone more than having me there, or if he was actually going to be cool with having me at his side. I did not know what to say, so I was feeling like I would just be leaving the subject to my mind, not wanting to make any real issues here.

Once he was inside, he sat down, and was looking right at me. "Hey, how have you been the last several days?" He asked, and I was glad that he was nice enough either way, and not making things much worse for me. When I was thinking about how much worse he would be making this if he was not going to be nice, I was looking down on the ground, telling myself that I needed to not think about this so damn much, since I was just being too worried about something for no real good reason.

"I just was hanging out with some other people. Nothing too big. I mean, I was just waning to pass some time here." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he shrugged, thinking that he did not need to press me any more on the issue. Thinking that he was already knowing enough and that if he tried to press on any further, he would probably lose some interest anyways.

"Now that we are here, I guess that we can try to find something to do now." After he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to just find something else to be talking about here, and that now that he had made his point, and I had given him his answer, there was just no need to go on any further than what we had been. "I mean, I just was curious, since I was seeing you hanging out with some girls a few days ago at the park, and I was wondering if you were actually like going out with somebody." After Andrew said that, I laughed at that comment, and then just gave him the verbal answer. Although it was funny as hell to think that he actually believed that I could be going on dates at all.

"I mean, seriously, if I were going on dates with anybody, I would look like a fucking idiot. I would look like I am just a total social nerd." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was then thinking about what else I could be able to do to talk about something that can interest him. "I mean, I never really got that successful at talking to anybody before. I mean, this might be the most progress I ever made on this regard."

"Wow, if you are not really able to get much of a social life, then it is really sad. I mean, I barely know you, and I would never wish that on my worst enemy." After Chad said that, I slightly laughed at that, thinking that this statement was just kind of fun, and that at least he was willing to fuck around with this whole thing. So with that, I was thinking that he was not totally rude or anything. Which was just nice to know that at least he was willing to hang out with me and give me some sympathy.

"I think that it is something that just takes a lot of time getting used to when you don't really have something going for you. As much as I hate to admit it." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then thinking about what I was even going to be trying to accomplish now. I felt like anything that I could accomplish would just be a increased lifestyle on the social front.

"Well, I think that maybe when you try to go onto that skating life style again, and you see how much fun it could be, you might be able to get some friends that way." After Andrew said that, I was thinking about how such a thing was not going to happen. And that he was trying too hard to make me get into something like this. But I decided that I was not going to say anything at all.

"Well, I mean, I am not that good at it, but if it is something that can make me have a better social circle than I thought that it would be, then I guess that maybe something like this could be worth it." I said, trying my best to be making it seem like I was going ready for such a thing. Despite the fact that I was just not too ready for any of this, I was thinking that as long as they were into it, I would not really object to this anymore.

So with that, I was staring at the screen. "What types of consoles are even going to be coming out now? Are you going to be trying to get into them?" I asked, and I felt like this was a valid question, and I did not want to press them more on the matter. But I felt like that was something that I would be more able to accomplish than becoming a good skater.

"I don't know what other consoles I might be getting. But since you are offering me, I think that I could try to look into some other things. Maybe my parents would be willing to try and find something for me to get." After he had said that to me, I was then smiling, thinking that something like this would be able to be a whole lot of fun.

So as I was thinking about that, I was then thinking about what the hell we were going to be doing now, and how much of this was going to really be all worth it. I was just thinking about the gaming session that we could have right now, if we were to get right into it and not fuck around.

"I don't know how much you were enjoying the game that we were showing you, but you might as well just give this a go, and see if you are going to be able to like it so far." After Chad had said that, he was handing the controller to me. As I was holding it, I was excited at the fact that he was letting me try something like this. But at the same time, I felt like I was just going to be failing this really badly. And I was not wanting to him to make fun of me for not knowing how to play. But I was telling myself that the worst that can come out of this was just failing a little bit.

I was seeing him turn on the television, and I was just telling myself to just see how I would enjoy this before I really shot down the entire idea of actually liking this. So with that, the longer that I was playing it, and the more that I was getting into it, the one thing that I knew was probably going to be happening was coming along. The fact that I was probably not going to be super into it at first, but the more that I was doing it, the more that I was actually going to be enjoy this whole thing.

So with the more that I was liking it, and the more that I was playing it, the more that I was getting invested in what would happen to me. I did not want to lose the game. I was wanting to do whatever it would take to make sure that I was going to be able to win at it. I did not know if this was going to actually be possible. But no matter what was going on, I would want nothing more than to not fail at what is going on here. So with that, and the more that I was playing, the more that I felt like I was finally getting settled into the idea of hanging out with these people, and not actually falling behind.

I played for probably an hour and a half, with Chad and Andrew commenting on the side as well, and the more that I was playing, the more that I was wanting to win. But my investment was blocked off entirely when I was hearing a loud clattering noise, and that was when all three of us stopped, unsure of what was happening. Even Chad was looking like this was not meant to happen.

"Is this supposed to be happening?" I asked, feeling like as long as I was calm and collected, he would not make fun of me too much. But the way that he was looking at the whole thing, I could tell that he was clearly not taking this whole thing lightly. I was seeing that he was thinking that whatever was going on was serious business, and I was seeing him standing up, as if trying to find something to say.

"I think that something like this is not meant to happen. I am going to be seeing what the hell is going on here. You do not have to come with me if you do not want to." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking very unsure of what to say now. I was then just taking a deep breath, feeling like whatever was happening soon would have been a big deal, and I knew that this was something that I was needing to be professional about. Or as much as I was going to be able to given the situation.

"If something is going on here, I think we should probably be checking with you too." After Andrew had said that, I was seeing him clearly looking like he had been unsure of what to say. He was just thinking that when he was saying that, in a way, he was almost finding himself even speaking that out loud.

So we were all walking along, wondering what was going to be coming next. I was just sort of trying to make it look like I was not having a huge problem with this right now. But at the same time, I was thinking that I would have to let them be in front, and in case something big were to happen, I could be able to just keep myself together and hold myself to a level of composure that I never thought about what the hell we were going to be doing. I was then looking around, and I was feeling like there was another small chance that I was going to need to have something in order to fight with. I hated this idea, but I was ready for such a thing.

I was seeing that there was a person who was in the back yard of the house. I was gulping a bit, and I was looking right at Andrew. "Hey, what the hell is that guy doing here? Do you think that he is going to try and break into this house?" I asked, and then after I had asked this question, I was feeling like I needed to just pretend like this whole thing was not going to be freaking me out, no matter how much of a fucking lie something like this could have been.

"I have no idea. I think that maybe we should try and see what he is doing." After Chad had said that, I was seeing him looking a bit worried about what he was actually doing. So with that, he was opening the door to be going down stairs, and as he was doing this, I saw him looking like he was basically setting up his death sentence. And I was thinking to myself that there was a small chance that something like this could actually be the truth now.

As we were going down after Chad, I was looking at Andrew, and I was just trying to see what he was thinking at my side. If he was willing to be open about the way that he was feeling. I did not know if he was going to be wanting to do something like this. But in a way, I was thinking that maybe if I did that, I would get distracted, and not be focused on the main objective at hand, and I was thinking that doing that would only make things worse for everybody involved in the matter.

So as I was feeling this way, we were all down stairs, and we were looking at the guy was in the back yard, when Chad had opened the door to the yard. The guy stopped, and looked right at us, and he was looking like he was scared for being revealed. Like this was the last thing in the world that he had wanted. Then he was taking out a gun. And when he had done something like this, I was just terrified, and I was thinking there was no way in hell he was actually going to try and kill us or anything. That was something I genuinely believed.

I pushed Chad inside of the room, and then after I had done just that, I was bending down, and I was seeing that the gun fired and created a small hole on the door. I was thinking that maybe he would have thought that it would have hit at least one of us. I looked right at the other guys in the room with me, who were now looking like they were fearing everything for their lives. I saw that there was virtually nothing that I could be able to do to make them feel better. I thought that all that I could do was just find a way for them to escape.

"Okay, I have no idea what the fuck is happening. Why that guy wants anything to do with this place anyways." After Chad said that, he was sounding utterly scared, and I was seeing that there was a fear on his face. That this was the worst thing in his mind. He was shaking his head, as if he was refusing to believe that something like this could even come close to being the truth. But then I was just placing my hand on their shoulders, to try and get them to be focused on the moment.

"Well, I think that we just need to be thinking deeper about what to do to make sure we don't die. I think that this is much more important than why he is here." I said, and then I was looking at the two of them, hoping that they were going to be able to focus on the matter at hand. That was when I was seeing Andrew and Chad looking like they were able to get into the more serious thought right now.

"Alright, let's just put something in front of here, and lock all the doors. It might not be much, but it can buy us a few seconds if we ever need something like this." I said, as both of the other guys nodded, thinking that this was going to suffice for the time being, even if it was a answer that they were not really wanting to go on and deal with.

With that in our minds, we were getting out of our hiding location, and were starting to run up the stairs, but thinking that we needed to try and do it in a way where people were not going to be noticing what we had been doing. I mean, this whole thing was strange, but I decided that as long as the three of us were going to be together, there there was a small chance that we were going to be able to be fine, no matter what this guy was going to throw at us.

Once we were in the main room, I was taking a long and deep breath. We locked every single room in the house, and we started to lock every window after closing them, and we did this for the entire place, just thinking that every single room we would be doing this could sort of increase our chances of not getting caught. I was feeling like this was going to be fine enough as it was. All we had to do was just be careful here. And when Chad's parents returned, we could just explain what happened, and if they believed us, they would be able to tell the police what we were dealing with or something.

I did not think that what was going on would have been all that big of a issue, once were getting into the real meat of things. I felt like there was surely no way that this was going to get any worse, unless if we were to die. Although I wanted them to not know that this might have been a result of the fact that I was knowing them. Well, them coming after me for noticing what they were doing with Whitney and Victoria. Which I just hated the whole prospect of what had been going on now.

Things for the next thirty minutes or so were just scary, until we heard a car drive off, and the guy in the back yard inside of the car as we saw from a window. As we had seen that, we actually felt like we were safe, so we decided to just get ourselves out of here, and just try to not be too overtly worried about what we were actually getting ourselves into right now. Which I was unsure of if this was a good thing or not.

The next few days went by pretty strange after that. I was in a mix on if I should be telling my parents what had happened or if I should just lie about this one, in order to not get them too worried about what I had been doing right now. I was thinking that if they were to know what I was doing, they were going to just tell me that I was never allowed to be hanging out with people again. Which was going to be one of the most annoying things that I could really handle.

After about four days or so, I was feeling like I was finally feeling like I was total ready for the next thing that I could do in order to hang out with my friends and stuff. I was thinking that maybe I could check up on Victoria and Whitney, and see how they were doing, and if they were actually going to be safe in the first place. I mean, after everything right now, I did not know if they were going to be feeling let down on this whole situation.

I was out of the house, and I was walking right to where they lived, and I was feeling like they were going to be excited to see, but not super excited for the fact that I was only really going to be there just to talk with them about silly little things such as how family was holding up, when they were literally in fear of fucking dying earlier and stuff. I felt like they were going to just be more scared on something like that than anything else.

Eventually, we were reaching the front door of Victoria and Whitney's house, and I was knocking on their door, and I was just thinking about what I was going to be saying to her when she would see me. She was just going to think that me coming here was just going to be really boring, and almost not even worth it. Almost scary to even ponder. I was telling myself that maybe I was just thinking to deeply whole thing, and she really could not care less once we were getting there.

Eventually, Victoria answered the door, and she was looking right at me. "Hey Davis, I was thinking that you were just never going to show up again, you know after just being too scared to continue being at our side from dealing with that guy." She said, and I had no idea how I was going to react. I mean, she wasn't really wrong, but I really did not want her to be saying that. I was feeling actually kind of awful when she was saying that to me. Almost like in a way, I had let her down, and that was something that I did feel kind of awful for. Even if I had no real way to get invested in this earlier.

"I mean, I was just thinking about it for a while, but I did not really think that I could be able to help you out on this. I just think that this is something that even if I could be able to help you out on, I would be lost on this. I just could not be able to make any real difference. But at the same time, I think that maybe I should at least try." I said, and then I was seeing Whitney looking at me when she had finally shown up, and decided to see if there was something that I needed.

"Hey, I was worried about you. I mean, you are sounding like you were kind of phased by that whole thing. Seeing you going around, and seeing you just leave the way that you did, it made me feel like you were kind of scared of him. I feel like maybe you were just going to never wan to see me again. Which would have been really sad." After Whitney told me that, I was feeling like I just needed to find something else to say. But I could not be able to find something to say to make her feel any better at this. So I was just shaking my head, not thinking about what to say anymore, and decided that I would try to be honest.

"I mean, when I saw what happened to you guys, and I was seeing him drive by, I felt like leaving was going to be the best way to keep you safe. I mean, I felt like they would be going after me first, since I was a guy, and that they would worry about getting the strongest one out of the way first, and then finally dealing with the ones who were not nearly as big of threats. But I just did not think that this was really possible." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two girls, and I was thinking that I was going way too far with this. I felt like maybe she was just never going to see my perspective.

"I mean, I guess that despite how strange it was, I was feeling like maybe I was trying to be a hero. I did not think that it was possible. But that was somewhat the thing that I was doing. I think that it sounds stupid, and like a poor excuse it probably is, but at the same time, I don't really think that I can say it any better than what I just did." I said, and then after I had said that to the girls, I was feeling like I did not need to worry about this any further, and I could leave the matter alone now, for good.

"I did not think that you actually were putting it in that perspective. I guess when you look at it that way, maybe you were not off to such a bad idea after all." After Victoria had said that to me, I was seeing her almost look like she was willing to admit that she was wrong about the whole thing right. But at the same time, there was something that I was still unsure of at that moment.

"I mean, I just don't want something to happen to you guys. You are both so innocent, and there is something pure about the fact that you guys really have no idea what you are going through, and I think that I need to try my best to be able to respect something like this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then thinking about all of the pressure that we had been putting ourselves through in this moment.

After this was done, I was then seeing Whitney looking like she was wanting to find something else to say now. "Well, now that you're here, do you want to go out and try to hang out for a bit? I think that perhaps now that you are here, we can find something to do to have some fun here." After Whitney had said that to me, I was then thinking about what I could say now. I was then just looking at the inside of the house, and the few inches that I was seeing, and I was wondering what else I was needing to say now.

"Well, what would you even want to do if we were to hang out or anything?" I asked, and then after I had finished saying that to her, I was then thinking that this was actually a valid point. That this was the one main point that I needed them to at least think about before they were going to be making any answer to my question.

"Yeah, I don't really know. Maybe we can go to the park again, or if you think that something like this will not work, then we can go inside. I mean, our mother might be against it at first, but I think she will not like scream at you to leave, and she will be over it in time." After Whitney had made that response, she was finally feeling like she was going to be getting me somewhere now. So with that, I thought about it for a bit, and then I nodded, and we started to go inside, and I felt like nothing could happen there that would put them in danger, and that I would be fine.

As I was finally thinking that things were alright, and that I really did not need to worry about any of this too badly, I was then seeing a car parking near by. When I was seeing this car park, I was seeing that it the exact same black one that I had been seeing around for a while, and I was thinking that I would need to do whatever it would take to make sure that nothing were to happen to Victoria and Whitney. I had no idea if such a thing were possible, but I knew that for their sake, I would have to at least try and help them.

"Stay back, and don't do a damn thing. I think that they might be more after me than they are after you." I said, and then after I had told them this, I was seeing the look on their face, as if they were just scared out of their fucking mind out of the fact that something like this was even happening in the first place. Really could not blame them for this.

"Davis, do you think that you are going to be keep this guy away?" After Victoria had told me this, I was seeing her looking like she was dropping her persona of looking like this was totally fine right now. I was seeing her looking like she would do anything to make sure that I could be able to keep her safe, if such a thing was even able to happen.

"I have to try." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing that the two girls were really looking like this was the most important thing that I could have been able to do. "Get to your room, and stay in there for a while, until I figure this whole thing." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two sisters, they were slowly starting to walk off, and they were going to be in there long enough for me to finally just get this over with.

Once they were in the room, I was seeing the guy coming right towards the house, and he was only about half a dozen feet or so away from the front door. I was seeing him looking like he was just a bit excited to finally see me, and throw me away and stuff. I was thinking that maybe I could finally just get this man away from the twins, even if it would mean killing him, which I would not be able to understand.

The guy was not taking out a gun just yet, which was making me feel better, and feeling like I could be able to have a chance in taking this guy away. I was then looking at the vase that was near the door, and I was thinking that as much as I would not want to do something like this, I would have to use it in order to take this guy out, and I think even their parents would be able to finally give me a break if they knew the context of what I was doing to keep their daughters safe.

I was seeing the guy right at the front door, and I jumped right at him before he was able to do anything. Even if it got me killed, it was still going to be better than nothing, and I was thinking that at least I could be able to buy a couple of seconds. Then when I did that, I punched him once in the face, although due to how young and weak I was, I barely was able to do any real damage to him. So he was picking me up, and throw me to the side.

Once I had rolled over for a little bit, I was moaning in pain for a moment, and I was slowly starting to get up. I was just trying to keep myself focused on this. I then grabbed a small tree branch on the ground, and I knew that it was not going to make a difference at all, as he was starting to take out his gun. I threw the tree branch right at his face, and when the branch hit his face, I was seeing him falling down on the ground.

When he was on the ground, I decided to take a couple of moments to finally have something to do. So I was running at the bloke again, and then I kicked him right in the balls. When I was doing that, he was moaning a bit from the pain, and I knew that this was all that I had really needed to do. Then he was looking right at me, as if thinking that this was territory that he did not want me to go through with.

Then with that, I kicked the gun away from his hand, and then I stomped on his hand a bit, and then he screamed for a split second and it only worked out as well as it did because I gave it my full force. I was then starting to see the gun near the ground where I was, and I was going to run right towards the gun. Then with that, he picked me up, and then I saw him holding my legs a bit. Then before I could think about it for a moment, he threw me right at the near by tree, and I was feeling like I was hearing a small crack or something, and then after I had laid on the ground for a couple of seconds, he was running to me and then he was starting to slam my face against the tree a good slam. Then with that, I pushed him down to the ground as my head was ringing like a watermelon about to burst.

I was running right towards the gun, and I was not going to let this guy stop me from using it. I mean, this was the only option that I had. If it was going to get this man away from those girls, then I was going to have to shoot and at least greatly injure him, even if I did not want to be killing him, since I still felt like such a thing was quite a bit jump to take.

I was then holding the gun for a bit, and I was just sort of going to be telling myself to take this calmly, no matter what was going to happen. I was then seeing the guy holding up a knife a couple of feet away from me. As he was doing this, I was then holding the gun back, and then I fired the gun right into his leg, and after I had done that, I was then just taking a long and deep breath, trying to pretend like I was not too bothered about what I had just done. Then with that, I was looking right at Victoria and Whitney a few feet away from me. Because they decided to walk out of the house and see what was going on.

Then with that, I was standing up, and then as that was happening, I was seeing the other guy starting to stand up, and he was looking right at me, but this time, I was seeing more of a look of uncertainty. As if he was almost thinking to himself that this was just not even worth it anymore, as he was running to his car. Or limping at least. Then after he was getting near me, he grabbed the gun, and he was looking like he wanted to fire the gun at me. Then after a few seconds, he was shaking his head a bit, and decided to just let this whole thing go, feeling like perhaps it was really not going to be worth it for either one of us.

When he was gone, I was then sighing in relief, knowing that I think he was going to be leaving us alone for several days. I felt like after this had happened, he would have finally gotten it in his head that it was best to just be leaving me alone. Then with that, I was going to Victoria and Whitney, feeling like I could finally be able to hang out with them without too much going on now. I was looking right at them, just hoping that I could finally get them to have a regular conversation.

"God, I am tired of this man. He is going around and just ruining my life, at every instance that there is. I think that when he is gone, then everything is going to be so much better for us." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was feeling like this was all that I needed to do to discuss this. I saw Victoria and Whitney looking so glad to see me finally able to put this whole thing to rest, and not make things any worse.

"I think that I might have to leave you alone now. I think that if I continue to talk to you on this, then there is a good chance that you will be in even more danger than you already are in." I said, and then I was looking at the two sisters, I was seeing them looking as if they had been unsure of what I was going to be able to do. "I mean, if something were to happen to me, that would be one thing, but you two are innocent enough to where I do not think that you truly deserve something like this." I said, and then after I was done saying that to them, they were looking sort of shocked but glad to see me actually talking like this.

"You really think that leaving us is going to be the best way to make sure we are safe? Do you really believe that?" Victoria asked me, and then I was looking down on the ground. As I looked for a moment, I was then glancing right back at them, thinking that I would just try to find a way to be still able to get the point across, while also not coming off as cruel. Since I did not want to come off as cruel when they did not deserve it at all.

"I mean, I want to stick around and see you guys enjoy your summer. But how can I be able to claim to be a good friend, or a friend at all to you guys, when I am going to be here, just lost on how to keep anybody safe? When the true answer, even if I don't like it, is right there, this whole time." I said, and then after I had said that, I was tired of telling them why I could not be able to hang out with them anymore.

"If you believe that to be the best, then I will just accept what you are doing." After Victoria said that to me, she was trying to hold back a sudden tear in her eyes, as if she could not be able to believe that this was affecting her as much as it had. Then with that, I looked around, trying to finally come off as a proper man. But she said one final thing before she would let me go, and feel like I was losing whatever little good there was here.

"I guess that I never thought that you were going to be anything like a hero. But it turns out that maybe you were brave enough to actually do something when there was looking to be no other way." After Victoria as done saying that to me, she was then glancing over at Whitney, finally feeling like she could find something to say to make me feel better. But I did not think that such a thing was possible to accomplish.

"I am so sorry that I was finally starting to show something of a compassion to you guys, but I never really went through with it." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two sisters, I was then just trying my best to not take away the eye contact, and that was all that I really needed. "Hey Victoria, thanks for at least giving me a chance to show myself as a guy who is not all that terrible of a person." I said, and I was feeling like there was virtually no other need to say anything here.

"Whitney, I know that it will probably not really matter saying it now, since there is a chance that I might be seeing you again, but I am going to tell you the truth. I actually found you cute. And I hope that you would give me a chance to show you how I feel." I said, and I was feeling like there was nothing else for me to say, and that the minimal action I would take would be the only thing that I needed to actually do now.

I was walking towards Whitney, and she was looking rather shy, as if feeling like me doing this was something that she wanted me to do, but she was just not going to be ready. But despite the situation, and despite her feelings, she was feeling like she would just wait to see what I would do, and she would see how she had felt on it when I was done.

When I was in front of her, I was starting to bend my legs a little bit, thinking that this was all that I needed to do. I was then placing my mouth onto hers, and it was the most awkward thing that I had ever done, but at the same time, I did not care. It was my first kiss, and it was the one of the few that I would do in a long time, and one of the even less few that I would actually start. Even though she was only nine, I did not care. I liked her, and I wanted her to be happy with the time we did have. I wanted to be happy to know I got what I wanted. She was great, and I wanted her to see that. So I kissed her. I was into it, wanting more the entire time. Seeing her reaction showed me that she did not get it at first, but over time, she was also slowly getting into it as well, even it was to a fault.

When I was done, I looked right at her, wondering what else I was going to be saying to this. "I just knew that I was never going to be forgiving myself if I never did that." I said, and then after I had told her that, I was then looking a bit shamed that I had done something like that so openly, but in a way I could not have cared less. I was then feeling like I was just ready to continue going, and be home, where I could finally start to give them the true protection that they had needed.

I was then feeling like when I was going to be done, I would finally have it all pulled together. I was just feeling like when I was going to be home, I was just going to be doing something that actually mattered. I felt like this was the only thing that I could be able to do to actually make it look like I was not too let down by being alone. I just felt like I had to finally be alone, and just never get myself involved with anything, and then as a result, nothing would happen to those other people.

Once I was inside, I was then looking at Mabel, and seeing her looking at me. "Hey Dipper, what is going on here? You seem to be all over the place all the time. And that is none of my business, but I am just wondering is all." After she had told me this, she was then just wanting to clearly see what I could do to really let her in on my life.

"I just have been going out and hanging out with friends, just trying to make the most of it that I can given the situation. I feel like this is the best that I could be able to do in all honesty." I said, and then after I had told her this, she was looking like there was no other thing that she would really need for me to say. "I will let you in on the next one. Just to finally make things different." I said, and I could not believe that I had been saying that. Which was just a bit strange to admit, but I was wanting her to feel like she was being important.

I was walking closer and closer to my room, and then I was sitting down on the bed. I was seeing Mabel come by, and she was looking at me, as if she was going to be giving me a answer to my offer. Even if there was no real point to her doing this. I felt like maybe she was just wanting to make it look like I was able to have some level of verbal communication with her. Which I guess was not even all that shocking given the situation. "Hey, I think that something like this will be fun. I just hope that nobody else will be too opposed to this." After she said that, she went inside of her own room to finally leave me alone. To finally let me stew in my own failures, and the fact that I was creating some short comings here.

A couple of days later, I was slowly starting to regret virtually cutting off all communication with those two girls. I mean, I barely knew them, so it wasn't like the saddest thing in the world to see them gone, but at the same time, I felt like I could have been able to start to get to know them better if I had just tried hard enough. Maybe cutting off everything was not the best route to be going, since I was finding myself wishing that I had not done such a thing.

Not that it mattered, since there were those two guys that I could be able to see still. I felt like there was nothing wrong with going out and seeing them more, since barely anybody knew what had happened with them, and I think that maybe I could be able to get away with just hanging with them a bit longer, and if their parents were going to be against that, I could just say that none of us knew that this was going to happen, and that we were just hanging around when that happened. I think that once they got over their initial fear, they would probably be fine with it, and they would probably get over it after a couple of minutes, if they were going to be angry at all.

So as I was telling myself that, and actually believing in it, I was getting up, and I was starting to head towards where Chad had lived. And if they were scared about seeing me due to what happened, then I guess that maybe this could be a somewhat valid conclusion, but that was something that I could not do very much about, and yet would be something that I would still be able to accept since at least they were actually there for what happened, and I would be able to see how they would jump to such a thing, in the fear of it happening again.

As I was at the door to head out, I was seeing Mabel looking right behind me. As if she was thinking about the promise that I had made earlier. I was then sighing, thinking that despite how annoying this was going to be, I did make the promise, and I think it was my duty to just go with it, since I would not want to be coming off as a fucking liar to her, even if at that moment, I had wished to do so.

I was then sighing, thinking that the sooner she came with, the sooner we could get this over with. "Yeah you can go. I did promise after all." I said, and then after I had said that, she smiled, and then walked down the stairs, and then after she was down the stairs, she was looking right at me, and she was looking like she was wanting to see what would be bothering me so much anyways. We left the house, and began the journey to where Chad lived.

"Is there something that really bothered you earlier? I mean, when you came home a few days ago, you were seeming to be really shook up about something. I mean, it's none of my business, but I feel like I still need to know, in case if I can be able to help you out." After she had said that to me, I was half way debating on if I should be telling her the truth, since in all honesty, she was just trying to help me out, and deep down I did not see the point of not telling her what I had already known.

"The thing is that I don't know how I can describe it all. It just seems unreal. I would really not be worried about such a thing. I think that it might be better for you to just not put yourself too deep into this." I said, and I was looking at her, and I was seeing that she was just slowly trying to think of a way that she would be able to get me to talk. Since she felt like it would be important to finally get the truth out of me, for some reason.

"I mean, what is going to be the worst out of telling me what is going on?" After she had asked me this, I was then thinking about how annoying this whole thing was going to be. And how much I was really still just rejecting her on all of this. I felt like I needed to give this more of a chance. "I mean, it is not like I am going to be telling anybody, since there would be no real purpose out of doing so." After she said that, she took another sigh, and finished her statement. "I just feel the need to know when something is bothering you."

"I don't know what is happening. That is the honest truth. And I don't really know if I want to know. I think that it might be best for me to not know. Since if I just simply don't, then I would be able to just brush this whole thing off. And that would be much easier for me to do than anything else." After I had said that to her, I was then thinking that sooner or later, she would have to learn to respect my space, and not be so in my fucking face about it all.

"Are you sure that you don't really know what is happening? I mean, I guess that I should be leaving you alone about it. I just don't really know how to think of this right now." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her sort of looking like she was getting over it more and more. Thinking that the less she talked about it, the more that she was going to be seeing where I was actually coming from. So I was just thinking about what was going to keep me together here.

"I don't know what is happening. That is the truth. To be honest, I don't really even want to know what is happening. Because if I do, then that means that surely something else is going on here. I just want to try and not be aware of the insanity that is happening here, and pretend that there is a method to all of the chaos." I said, and then I was thinking that such a statement was kind of cute, thinking that I could believe that there was a method to all of this madness around me.

"Well, if that is really the truth, then I guess that I will leave you alone on it." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was growing to just accept such a thing more. Even when it was something that she would wish to never really approach. But at the same time, I was thinking about how she and I would be able to connect under different situations.

"I mean, who knows, you might be able to get it sometime anyways, but I don't really know if I want to get it. After all the insanity that is going on, I think that I would just be fine with having some basic clues as to this. But you clearly seem to be too taken away by this to really want to talk about it." After she had said that to me, I was thinking that there was no point in saying any of this now. But I was still sort of unsure of what I was going to accomplish now.

"I guess that maybe you are just somebody who really likes to help. And I can appreciate that. But there are some things might be best for you to just leave alone. Sorry for not telling you anything. I really do need to try and just understand it myself. Maybe when I grow to understand it better, I will let you know more, but until then this is my thing that I need to try and fight on my own." After I had said that, I was then near the house that everything started to go crazy at, and the house that Mabel thought was perfectly fine, with no issues whatsoever.

I knocked on the door, and when I had done this, I waited for a moment, and then that was when Chad answered, and Andrew was nowhere to be seen. He was looking like he wanted to talk about a few days ago, but when he saw Mabel, decided that maybe for her sake, he would just keep his thoughts to himself. Just trying to pretend like this whole fucking thing over with, and that we would just pretend like this really was all fine and dandy for the most part.

I was then looking right at Chad, as if thinking that I would cask him the question that I was thinking about, and see what he was thinking. "So Chad, do you know if Andrew is going to be coming by soon? I was kind of hoping he would show up." I said, and then after I had told him that, he was shrugging, as if thinking that it was really not that big of a deal. But then he was thinking that the bigger deal was Mabel being here, and he was just looking at her, unsure of what to say.

"I have no idea. But I am curious as to why your sister decided to join the freak show." Chad said, trying to be witty about this whole thing, trying to make it look like he was finding himself to be the funniest man in the world. But he was then just looking like there was nothing else to say on the matter. "I mean, I have no idea why anybody who is sane would want to hang out with us." After he had said that, we sat down on the couch, and he was looking right at me.

"Well lucky for you, I am not sane at all. I am even more insane than either one of you." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was almost proud of this. Like she had enjoyed telling people this, and I was just thinking that maybe I would not really get what was so funny to her saying any of that.

"I guess that I am really lucky then." Chad said, and I was hearing him sound like he was totally unsure of how to feel on this. And if he was really wanting to deal with such a thing. But at the same time, he was almost looking like he just wanted to find something else to talk about. "Well, anyways, now that you're here, I was thinking about some things that we could be doing now." After he had said that to me, I was seeing Chad looking like he was actually kind of excited. Even Mabel was sort of wanting to see where this whole thing was going to be going.

"What were you planning exactly?" After Mabel asked that, he was looking at her, and he was not even having a annoyed face anymore. He was almost just having a face that was showing deep pondering. Really unsure of how he was going to get her into this whole thing, considering the fact that she was not planned to be here at all. Then he looked at me, as if wishing that I had at least asked him before I brought her over.

"I don't know how to make it work. But I guess that I will do what I know I can do best. And that is improvising. I am sure that something will work here." After he said that to Mabel and I, I saw him looking almost like he was wanting to actually make it all work. And then he was then just going to his house door, ready to get to work, and see what he could do to make it work.

"What was your idea anyways?" I asked, and I was thinking that I could be able to find a way to make it work, while also being able to let Mabel be brought along with this. I mean, I did not know if it could be done. But I felt like it was certainly worth the try at least. He was looking at me, as if thinking about the best way he could be able to respond to this question, since he really had no way of knowing how Mabel would be able to enjoy any of this in the first place.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go out in the city, and just find some things to do. I mean, you were telling me about how you were willing to try almost anything out. So I think that if we look enough, we can be able to find something that you might be interested in." After he had said that to me, I was then seeing him looking at Mabel, as if unsure of what he was going to be able to do to get her involved. As if thinking that this was going to really be the only real loose outlier in this whole thing. But then he was feeling like there just must have been something to get her interested.

"Alright, I guess that there surely must be something here that can get me excited. So yeah, I think that it might be worth giving it a go." I said, and then I was sighing a bit, as if deep in thought about how I would be able to find something fun to do even if what we were going to do would not interest me too much. I mean, I knew something like this could very well happen, and I was thinking that I needed to sort of be ready for such a thing.

But despite what was going on, I was thinking that we were going to just have to find something very loose to be able to keep us both going, and I knew that this was easily going to be the hardest part of what we were going to be doing. Was just trying to find a way to make it look like I would not be bored of something that we would do, if I turned out to not care for it much.

"Let's get going. Still have several hours left in the day, and I don't want to waste any of it." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was ready to get to the fun part of this whole thing, and I was seeing Mabel looking like she was excited to be brought into this finally once and for all.

"How many other friends do you have?" Mabel asked Chad, and she did not feel like it was all that strange of a question. She was just trying to see his perspective on things, and see what he was up to, and this was something that she felt like she would be able to get out of him without having think that she was trying too hard or anything. So with that, Chad was thinking about it for a few seconds, and then decided to answer her question without protest.

"Just like three or four. The problem is that they don't live near by, so I have to just take what I have. Even if that means that I only really hang out with one or two." After Chad had answered that, he had felt like there was no other need to say anything else to the matter. And they were just walking along, sort of trying to find something else to talk about that can be inclusive to everybody involved in the moment. "The thing is that I want to be able to meet up with other people, but it would be too much trouble for what it is worth. I think maybe in a way, that was why I was so accepting of having you around so fast. Since it was another person, and it was some form of way to spice up what was going on here." After Chad had said that, he was looking at us, and he was thinking that he was going to be fine with this choice soon enough, but that he would just need to see if it was worth it in the long run.

"It just was since you were never hanging out with them earlier, I was having a feeling that you didn't really have anybody else besides Andrew. I guess that maybe that might have been a little bit silly." After she had said that, she was feeling like she was making her point enough to get this conversation to a halt, and not make Chad feel any worse for this.

"Well, I just do what I can with what I have. I mean, sometimes that means that I can only really be hanging with one or two people. And that is just something that I have to sort of accept." After he had said that to Mabel, he was feeling like there was no need to continue the subject any longer. And before we knew it, we were back at that fucking park again. I was thinking about how much I wanted to not be here, but I was thinking that I needed to just keep my opinion to myself, and not make this guy think that I was being a chicken or something like that, just for knowing that this was where it had started.

To be fair it was the park near where Chad had lived, which was meaning that it was closer to the skating park than anything else. Which made me feel like perhaps I was going to be able to get a good time here. But I decided not to be thinking about this for too long. "So, what are you planning on doing here? I mean, there is not like a ton that we can do." I said, and I was just thinking that this was a valid point, and I was hoping that he would be able to see where I was coming from. Chad looked at Mabel and I, and then he was rubbing his chin, thinking about what he was saying.

"I mean, I know that this place does not have too much here. But I was thinking that perhaps you could be able to find something that you would enjoy." After Chad was telling me this, he was smiling, and then I was sort of thinking about what he was saying now. I was seeing him kind of looking like he was just trying his best to find something that could be able to get us at least a little bit interested.

"I don't know. I mean, we can go on and maybe try to see how Andrew is doing. Or we could be able to go some other friends of yours that live at least the closest to us." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, Chad looked like he was unsure of what to be saying now. He was looking like this idea might be something he would not really want to do, but he did not want to be saying anything that there was anything that could be making this whole situation fail or anything like that.

"I guess that maybe it would be worth a try. I'm not too sure though how well that is going to work. I think that they might be just looking at you, and looking like they think this might be worth it." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing Chad just sort of thinking that this was going to be taking it too far.

"Do you think that they might actually want to see me, or do you think that they might just be a bit annoyed to see me around or something" I asked, and I was thinking that perhaps I could be able to find something that could make him feel better about this situation, and I was going to see that perhaps if for nothing else, he was going to think that I had tried at least.

"I mean, I don't know how they are going to be when they see you be honest. I think that they might not be all that excited at first, but when they see me, and they see me trying to show them that you guys are not so bad, I think that they will be more willing to give you a chance." After he had said that to me, we were looking at the skating ring, and I was thinking that maybe I could fuck around on that for a little bit, just to see what I could do to improve or something.

"I guess that it is a small sacrifice to pay." I said, and then after I had said that, I was feeling like I was honestly ready for this whole thing. I finally felt like this was all that I needed to just not only have a fun summer, but to get over the whole Victoria and Whitney thing, and to just have some form of a base line popularity when I get to school next year, since I did not want to walk into the year with nothing at all going for me. I just knew that this was all that I had needed to finally get what I was wanting.

"Well, I suppose that if you want to do this now, we might as well just try to see how it could work." Chad said, and then he was looking at Mabel, and he was wanting to see what she was going to say to this idea. If she was going to try and argue with Chad, or if she was going to be fine with this whole thing. I did not know what to say, and I did not know if she was going to really be all that excited about going on this hang out with us anyways.

We were getting up, and as we were doing this, I was then sort of just unsure of what I was even going to say to them in the first place. "Hey, do how long have you known these people in the first place?" I asked, and then after I asked them this question, I was just thinking that I would make him more open to just talk with me a bit, and tell me about his friends, and that we could find something to keep this conversation actually going.

"I mean, I known these people for various times. I met most of them in first or second grade, but I never really talked with them that year. Over time, I would sort of make small talk, and see what they were wanting to talk about. And this was something that made me feel more socially alright. When I was just opening up and talking to all these people to sort of get me some form of a level of social acceptance." After Chad had said that to me, I was thinking about that maybe this was something like a more successful version of me. Somebody who would actually show me what it was like when I was finally listening to the idea of going out there and making a actual fucking difference. I wished that I could become like this, but I would needed to find a way to actually follow in his footsteps.

"I guess that maybe you know people for a while, but also not really feel the need to go out and see them when you barely know them at first. I guess that maybe you just finally need to know them to finally make a difference." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing Chad sort of looking like he had nothing else that he was really going to be saying to the matter. Since it was just a bit pointless to do much of this.

"I mean I just never took much notice to them, and I felt like there was no point in being friends with them when I had barely known them in the first place. It was only when I finally was forced to talk with them, and they did the same to me, I finally started to trust them, and respect them at least a little bit, and eventually become their friends." After Chad had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to find something else to say. But that he was not going to be doing this. He was just going to hang out with us, and secretly hope that there was no need to have more discussion to this whole thing.

"I think that I might have seen you at school before, but I never really took much notice, and decided to just continue to hang out with my friends and stuff." After Mabel had said that, she was feeling like she would not be able to believe that she had not really made the connection before. Not that it mattered. But at the same time, she felt like she would have noticed him at least once or twice before. And now that she had finally put it together, she was unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, I think you're right. I think that maybe you might have had a class or two with me, and I just never really took much notice to you or anything." After Chad said that, he was then laughing a bit, thinking that there was something very unobservant of him at all. "I guess that I just never really thought about hanging out with you or anything. I probably did not really know your name at all."

"Hey, at least you don't seem to be a bad guy from what we have seen of you." I said, and then after I had said that to Chad, he was sort of unsure of what to be telling me. "I mean, you are not like totally turning us down or anything, so clearly you must like hanging around with us at least a little bit." I said not know how much of this I was pushing it, but I felt like I was able to maybe talk with him a bit, and that he would not totally against any of this for too long.

We were eventually getting to a blue house that was about four blocks or so away from where Chad had lived. As I was looking at the outside of the house, I was trying to remember if I had seen it or not before. I really could not remember if I had seen it even just in casual passing. "This is where Andrew lives. I come here every so often. It just so happens that every time you had come along here, I just happened to be there as well." Chad had said that to me, and then he was looking like he was unsure of what to even say now.

"That must be a rather interesting coincidence. I thought that I would have been forced to deal with you not being here at least once or twice." I said, and then after I was done with that, I felt like there was virtually nothing else to say now. I was thinking that maybe there must have been some divine intervention that would make sure that I would not have to deal with being lost and confused. Although since I now knew where Andrew lived, I felt like there was a good place to go in case if I ever did not see him where he lived.

"Well, I just guess that maybe our minds are in sync on that level." After Chad said that, he was then shrugging, feeling like there was no real need to worry about anything like that. I was then just looking right at Chad, and I was sort of unsure of what the hell I was even going to do to get him to get him to open up a bit more to talk with me on various things.

"I just thought that I would rather try something out, and fail then to just stay back at the house and not do anything at all." I said, and then I was feeling like I did not need to speak on this anymore. Feeling like there was just no real need to speak on this for too much longer. I was just hoping that Andrew would be willing to hang out with me, when I was still there and he would be fine with giving me a chance.

"Well, I guess that maybe that makes some sense. But I would not be too worried about anything like that. I think that you just need to be fine with taking things one day a time." After Chad told me this, I was then seeing him knocking on the door, and he was clearly thinking that there was no point in having this discussion anymore. But I did not think of anything else that could be said. He was looking at me, and he was clearly hoping that Andrew would answer the door, probably hoping that he would be there to help make this whole thing a bit less overwhelming to him or anything.

Eventually, Andrew answered the knock, and he was looking right at me, trying to think of something to say. "Never thought that you were going to come here. I guess that maybe you were going to show up sooner or later." After he had said that, he was looking at Mabel, and he was looking like he was having a uncertain face. As if he was trying to decide what to feel now. "I was expecting you even less. I never thought that you would ever want to hang out with the two of us after that one time that we were showing that game to you." After he had said that to Mabel, she was looking around, trying to find something else to say. But she was looking like there was almost no need to try and defend herself.

"I mean, I just don't think that you are bad people. Even if we don't have much common interests or anything like that." After she had said that to Andrew, he was then looking down, as if thinking that he was kind of not wanting to have this debate, and thinking that this debate was not even going to make any real difference. "Seriously, I mean, you act like I think you guys are such terrible people. You guys have not done anything to really prove that theory or anything." After Mabel had said that to them, she was thinking that there was no more need to have this discussion, and that this discussion was just going to be more pointless and helpful in the long run.

"Just come inside. No need to have this debate right now." After Andrew was saying to us, the three of us were going right inside, and I was thinking of what I would want to say about this place, since it was just looking so different from where I lived. Almost a strange mix of being clean as well as dirty. Looking like it was out of place, while also being perfect. I had no idea what we were going to be getting ourselves into as we were hanging out here. But I did know that I was wanting to see what it would be like more, to see if it was actually going to be really a lot of fun. I felt like there was going to be a good chance that this was going to be more exciting than probably fighting for my life and stuff.

I was then looking around if there was a couch that I could be able to sit down on. I was thinking that when I was sitting down, I could feel a bit more at home, in a way of speaking, and I would feel like I was actually in place. I felt like when I was going to be trying to fit in, I was going to have to try harder to not be looking like a loser, but not trying too hard since doing that was going to be even worse than simply not trying at all.

"How often do you have people coming along here?" After I asked this question, I was already knowing that the top answer was going to be Chad, but I felt like there was surely more to this than just that guy. That surely there must have been other people who hung out with him than just him. I mean, I did not think that his life was going to be that boring, for lack of a better way of describing it.

"Usually Chad shows up once a week or so, and other people show up once every two to three weeks. I mean, it is not that big of a deal. I just wish that maybe there was a slightly more often rate than what I have been having. But I guess that I can't complain about it too much." After he was saying that to me, I saw him sounding ever so slightly wistful, and I was wondering what was going to be happening now. I just wished to know what I could be able to do to get him more interested in this.

"I mean, if you want, maybe in the future, I can come along more often." I said, and when I had said that to him, I was seeing Andrew looking like he had been unsure of what to tell me. He thought that there was no point in even trying to argue with me. After all, I was making him a offer, and I was trying to actually reach out to him, and make him feel like he was going to possibly have a friend who can be able to make things at least a bit more interesting.

"I guess that maybe we can try it out. See what it is like. I don't think that there is anything wrong with that." After he had said that to me, I saw him clearly looking like he was already taking a leap of faith, and that there was no point in seeing how far down this leap was going to go and actually help out with his life.

"But yeah, I mean, I wish that there was more times when people would be coming along. But I guess that something like that might just not be happening. I think that people are too tied up into their own thing. And maybe that means that I just won't be a part of it. I will be used to it after a while. That being said, I think that it would be nice if people were willing to give me more of a chance to make it work." Andrew finished, feeling like there was no more need to say any more to this now, but that there was just something in his mind that was sort of feeling unsure of what was even going to accomplish showing his mood anymore.

I was then feeling like I was finally going to be done with everything going on around me. I did not think that anything would even really matter anymore. "So Andrew, what are you thinking about now? Do your parents think that hanging out with multiple people might be a bit of a hassle for you to handle?" I asked, and I was then seeing Andrew looking like he was sort of feeling unsure of what to talk about now. Since the whole thing was just a bit strange to him.

"I mean, my parents probably really do not care all that much. I do not think that it is that big of a deal. They might not be in love with the idea of multiple people coming along at once, but over time, I think that they would be sort of over it." After he had said that to me, I was then looking right at him, and he was looking not so sure of what was going on now. "I just wish that maybe people are not so worried about tiny superficial things like this." After Andrew had said that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was just tired of everybody trying to force him into this whole thing.

"I just don't really know anymore. I think that I am always going to be worried about what people were going to be thinking about me on a regular basis. But I guess that maybe the paranoia is only going to be making things even worse for everybody else." I said, and then after I had said that to Andrew, I felt like there was no real need to worry about this fear of mine anymore.

"I mean, I guess that I can sort of see what you are bothered by. But it is really not all that big of a deal. I just have to be thinking about various things to sort of make myself have a better time on a regular basis." After Andrew had said that, he was looking right at Mabel, and then he was sort of thinking about different things that he could say to sort of make the discussion a little bit different and not feeling like it was not even going to be going anywhere at all.

"So what else do you guys like to do on a normal basis when you are not hanging out with us?" He asked Mabel, as if he was actually interested in what she was going to say. I could not believe that she was asked to answer these type of questions from this guy. He was thinking that perhaps he was going to actually reach out to her, and make her feel like she was special in a way. But he did not know what he was going to say, until she would finally give a answer to his question.

"Well, I just like to try and hang out with some girls from school. But a lot of the time, they never really seem to excited with seeing me. I can't know why they hate seeing me so much. I just want to have some chance to be cool." After Mabel had said that to Andrew and Chad, both of them knew that they were going to have a long way to go before fully convincing her that this was something that she was not needing to try on. Mainly because despite what they were not wanting to say, they were feeling like she was going to have virtually no chance to pull such a thing off.

"I think that you just don't need to be worried about things like that. You will be fine over time. Just sort of do your own thing, and you will be cool with it all." After Chad had said that to Mabel, he was seeing her sort of looking like she was just wanting to say something else. Something to bring awareness to her situation, even if she was not a fan of doing such a thing. And something that she was clearly looking a bit sad over.

"But I feel like I should try at least. I mean, nobody just does not try. And I think that trying is the best thing that I can do for myself." After Mabel had said that to the three of us, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more. But at the same time, she was just thinking about what she would be able to even do now. "I think that when I see everybody around me just off on their own accord, having fun, and not caring about anything, it makes me sad." She felt like she had made her point, and that there was no real need to continue with this, since she had felt like she had made her point.

"Yeah, you can try if you want, but there is no need to be forcing yourself to go above and beyond if you have no real desire to do so. Just sort of go around, and enjoy yourself throughout the process. It really is not going to be that big of a deal." After Andrew told her this, I was seeing that maybe he was actually liking Mabel a bit. Or that maybe he would not want to admit it, but he did have a base form of compassion for her, and that he did not want her to be feeling left out.

"Thanks for saying that. I don't know if it is going to help me stop, but it makes me feel better knowing that there is somebody who thinks that it is not that big of a deal." Mabel had told me, and then after she had said that to Andrew, I was seeing her looking at the television which was off, and this was her way of trying to not look at him directly in the eyes, and try her best to make it look like there was nothing running through her mind.

"I mean, I just saw how much it was bothering you, and I felt like I could try and help be real with you, and make you feel better by doing so. I don't know if it would make any difference though." After he had said that, he was wondering what Mabel was going to be saying to this. Then he was sighing, and he was unable to believe that he was actually having this discussion with my twin sister, and that he was actually trying to make her feel better I was thinking that maybe he cared a bit more than he ever would dare to admit to.

"Hey, do you think that there are any people at school who you might be able to connect with when the school year starts?" I asked, totally by mistake changing the subject. I was not even doing it on purpose, and I was just meaning it to everybody who was in the room who was willing to answer me. "I mean, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just have been thinking about this stuff for a bit longer than I would want to admit lately."

"No not really, I never really had too much of a thought on this. I guess that maybe I just feel like maybe something like this is not all that big of a deal." Chad had said to me, and then he was looking at me, and he was wondering what was really leading me down this road, and he felt like he was going to be able to get the answer out of me, as long as he was nice, but firm about the question he was asking here.

"What is making you think so much about that anyways?" After Chad asked this question, I was seeing him looking like he actually cared. Like he was hoping to find a way to help me out, and that he was thinking that as long as I was open with him, then he would be able to actually make a difference. Then with that, I looked down, and I was thinking that maybe there was a story that I could be able to tell them here.

"I never really wanted to talk about this too much. Just is a bit hard for me to really come to terms with. But I guess that maybe I could be able to enlighten you on this." After I had said that, I was groaning, thinking that I would just get this over with. Thinking that maybe the story could be something that would make me feel better after a few seconds, and then I was going to be able to laugh it off once I have explained it all to them, and it was over.

"Well, there was a girl that I had met lately, and I started to befriend her in the last couple of weeks. I felt like I could be able to finally make some friends with her, and get her to truly care about things were doing. I would say that maybe I just don't think that this is very possible. And it is not even mine or her fault. It is just something that I am accepting because of the life that we are both living at." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, I was just saying that to sort of get these people to be leaving me alone on the debate, since in all honesty, I did not want this to be going on for too much longer anyways.

"What was her name?" Chad asked, and he was seeming to be clearly interested in this debate, wondering what I was going to tell him now. I was then placing both of my hands behind my head, just thinking that I really did not want to debate this anymore. I was tired of this whole thing, and I was thinking that I had already made my point. But at the same time, he was being nice about it, and I could not force myself to make them not know tiny details just because I was not super excited to talk about it all.

"Her name was Whitney." I said, and then I was thinking that there was no real need to tell them her name. I felt like a simple name was not really going to matter all that much, and if they were going to be making the connection, then I guess that I was busted, and there was no way around it then. But unless if they did something like that, I was not going to be too worried about such a thing going down.

"She was kind of cute, and I was honestly starting to like her. I thought that maybe in enough time, I would be able to try and get to on a date with her. She was somebody who I was wanting to finally enjoy as a friend." I said, and then after I had told them that, I was feeling like at the age of twelve, I had already faced the idea of losing the first person that I had liked, and the one person who I actually was feeling like could have been worth it in the short time that I had known them. Which was silly looking back, but much too valid at the time.

"Do you think that you might be giving the idea of talking to her another chance? I mean, if you liked her so much, what wrong would have come out of giving it another go?" After Chad had asked that to me, I was looking at him, and I was thinking that what he was saying was insane. But at the same time, he was just trying his best to make me feel better about this whole thing.

"I don't know if she would want to do something like that, or be ready for do it. I mean, there is a good chance that she might just not be ready for such a thing, and if that is the case, then I can't force it onto her, no matter what." I said, and then after I had said that to the three of them I was finally feeling like this was one of the most responsible things that I was ever saying, and that I was no longer pushing anything onto them. I was actually making them understand my perspective, and that was all that I needed.

I did not think that I was going to have to go all that much deeper with this, and that when I was saying this, I was just sort of being pointless. "Well, if you like her, then there is nothing wrong with at least trying. You know, I think that you might as well just see how something like this can really work." After Mabel was saying that to me, I was shocked to see that Mabel was looking like she was finally willing to say something to me, to try and make me feel less like a piece of shit, and more like a guy who was just sort of on his own league, to make me feel better.

"I do like her, but I am scared of how she would react. I am scared of if she would make fun of me, and make me feel stupid. Make me feel like I made a very big mistake. I don't want them to be giving me that type of material." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then sort of unsure of what the hell I was even going to be saying to make any real difference. But I was thinking that now that she was just going to try and make me go with it, I might as well see what I can do to bring this disaster together.

"Just do what you feel like will bring a peaceful resolution to your time here. Don't worry about something like this. Just go with it, and have the balls to do what you enjoy." After Mabel had explained that to me, I was then looking down, and I was thinking that she was really doing something good by saying that to me. I was then looking right at the guys, and I was wondering if they were going to be able to agree with something like this.

"Do you actually agree with them? I think that I need to know what you guys think before I fully commit to this idea." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was then thinking that this was going to just be either the make it or break it moment of my entire summer break, which may have sounded silly, but it was just the truth here.

"You might as well try. I mean, if it fails, then you are going to say that at least you tried, but if you don't do anything, you will tell yourself over and over again that you let her get away. I would say just go for it, and see what happens." After Chad had said that to me, I was then looking down, and I was smiling at that, thinking that maybe they were onto something, and that I needed to at least try and see how it could work. So with that, I was then thinking that I was finally taking some authority on my life in a weird sense of fashion.

"Thanks for telling me that. It was what I really needed. I just needed that statement to finally get me going." I said, and then after I had said that to them, they were looking glad that I was finally able to take some charge on how I was going to be doing something that I care about. But I was then thinking about what else that I was going to do now.

"I will talk to her about it the next time that I see her, although I may not be sure when that is going to be, I am going to try and be ready for it all when it goes down." I said, and then after I had said that to the, I was finally feeling like I was going to be making this work. I was going to make it work out for every single person involved, and in a strange way, work with them as well, even though they barely even talked with me about anything like this.

"That's great to hear. Just don't back out of it, no matter what. We do not want to see you lose the one thing that you are starting to come up with here." After Andrew had said that to me, I was then thinking about what we were going to be doing now. I was then thinking about the life that I was going to live when I would finally have the answer to my questions coming to me, one way or another. And that was the one thing that I felt like I could get out of this debate.

"Thanks for getting me down this path. Thanks for pretty much just letting me know that I should at least try and see how this could work." I said, and then after I had finished saying that, I was then thinking about where this could be going, and then I was thinking about the fact that I was going to have to tell them how it went when it was done. But in a way, I did not give a single fuck in the world what they were going to think of me. I was going to just go the way that wanted. The way that I needed.

Several days had passed before I was able to really see them again, and when I did, I was telling myself to try and be ready for this. I was telling myself to be ready for the conversation that I would be having with them, to try and get them to listen to me, and see my perspective. I was just trying to tell myself that they were still going to be friends with me, and that when they saw me doing this, they would finally just feel happy with speaking to me on a regular basis.

I was eventually walking towards the house, and I was just thinking about what I was going to be doing now. I knocked on the door, telling myself to just get this whole thing over with. As I had done this, I was waiting for quite a while, and then Whitney eventually answered me. When she had seen me, she was looking down, having a mild form of a blush, and I was just telling myself to not say anything to her that she was feeling like was going to be too much for her to handle. Since I did not want her to feel like I was going to just make a big deal out of anything yet.

"Hey, how are you doing?" She asked me, thinking that she might as well see how she would be able to drive the conversation to one that would not seem to be all that huge of a deal. "Was there something that you had planned?" After she had asked me this question, I was seeing her looking at me, and I was seeing that she was just clearly wanting to see what I would be willing to talk about. I was then scratching the back of my head, thinking that perhaps I needed to find something to talk to her about, and not make her angry or scared of seeing me for some random reason, since there was nothing strange going on.

"I am doing alright. I know that I had told you guys that I was never going to be seeing you again. I started to regret that statement as soon as I had made it, and I wanted to see what I could be able to do to make things better for you now." I said, and then I was just thinking about how the stuff that I was saying would be making no real difference, and that she was just not going to really be buying what I had been saying now.

"Well, I was worried that you were going to be holding your statement to be true. I was wanting to see you again at some point." She had said to me, smiling at the fact that I had come back. I was then thinking that perhaps when she was seeing me, I was going to feel bad for ever trying to separate myself from her. Since I was feeling like I had made a huge mistake by saying that stuff to her earlier.

"I mean, I was feeling like I should be doing this, in order to make sure nothing happened to you. But in all honesty, I felt like I would rather try to make something work in the mean time, and see how far it can go, then to just lose everything that I had here." I said, and then after I had said that, I was looking right at her, and I was just wanting to see what she was going to be saying now. If she was really having any real plans to speak to me on this.

"Well, I am glad that you decided to come back, and not just leave us alone. I was worried that you were never going to be coming back, and then everything was just going to be a memory." Then after she had said that to me, Whitney looked at me, and she was looking like there was something else that she was wanting to talk about. Something that she felt like was much more important on virtually every single regard.

"When you kissed me that day, did you mean what you were saying? Did you actually feel something for me, or were you just saying that to make me feel better?" She asked me, and then I was looking down, feeling like as she was asking me this, I was going to have to struggle to find the proper way to tell her what was going on in my mind. Since I was overwhelmed by everything that was going on here.

"I do find you to be cute. I do like you in my own way, and I was worried about never seeing you again. I did not want to ruin my only chance to make something happen, so I just sort of went with it. I had hoped that something like this could work. I just could not lose the one thing that was keeping me feeling like there was something going on the last few days." I said, and then I was just rubbing my eyes, feeling like I just could not believe that I was talking to her about this in the first place.

"Well, I am glad that you were not lying to me." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking so happy at this sudden fact, and she was looking like she had wanted to say more, but felt no real need to talk to me any more on this issue. "Do you think that you and Victoria are ever going to be friends?" After she had asked me this, I was taken back by the question, since I never felt that we really disliked each other.

"I mean, I thought that we got along well enough. I never really had a feeling that we were not friends or anything. I just might not talk to her as much as I talk to you. But I never felt like there was anything going on here." I said, and then after I told her this, I was seeing her looking like she was a bit glad, that I had told her this.

"I just thought that maybe she was not a huge fan of you at first. But if you guys seemed to be over that, then I guess that I will be leaving it alone." After Whitney said that, I was smiling at the fact that either her or I were just terribly slow when it came to understanding what was going on around us in a social interaction. "Well, now that you are here, what are you wanting to do?" After she had asked me this question, I was then having to think about it a bit, unsure of what I was even going to tell her.

"I was not really having any ideas of what I was going to be doing here. I mean, I just felt like I could find something to do to make it seem worth it here." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was trying to find something that we could do, but at the same time, she was clearly looking like she was just never going to be able to find a good thing for us to do, since she was a bit unsure of anything that could be able to interest me at all.

"I just thought that we could just find something to do over time. I don't really think that we need a giant plan or anything. But if there is something that you want to do, then I would be open to your ideas." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, she was looking at me as if she was thinking deeply about what we were doing.

Eventually, as this was happening, that was when Victoria was showing up, and she was shocked to see me here, but now that I was here, she was thinking that maybe she would see what I was planning on doing, and actually see how the two of us were going to be able to hang out, with each other, to make things a bit more exciting for everybody.

"Hey, I was certainly never expecting to see you again. But since you're here, if you want to come in, you can." After she had said that to me, I was then looking at the house, and I decided that I would finally just give this a chance. I was then just going inside of the house, finally feeling like I was going to just relax, and see what this place would even be able to offer me. I was thinking that when I would see more of this house, then I would finally feel more like this was just something that was meant to be.

"Your sister was asking me if there was anything that I was wanting to do and stuff. I was just unsure, and I did not know if you guys were really wishing to go around and do shit when we were forced to be fighting that guy to save you." I said, and I was hating the fact that this memory was coming back once again, since I was not wanting to really remember those facts, and I was thinking that maybe getting them to not see me would have been the only way to do this.

"I don't think that guy is going to be coming back again. I mean, I saw from the way that he was looking at you, that he might not want anything to do with fighting you or anything." After she had said that to me, I was hearing a slight amount of admiration in Victoria's voice, as if thinking that she was unable to be so brave, even if she had wanted to be. I was then thinking that maybe I needed to find a way to make her feel better about the fact that she was not stupid enough to be going out and fighting like the way that I had been.

"I mean, you're just a kid. Don't worry about having a super high amount of courage. Just do what you feel like is best for you and your sister. That is all that you need to worry about." After I had said that to Victoria, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more, but despite this, she was looking really fucking unsure of how to be feeling right now. I just wished that I could be able to make something actually work.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I wanted to make you think that I could do something better for us." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say something else. I was seeing her looking like she was actually sad at this whole situation. I did not want her to be feeling this way, no matter what, since she deserved something better than this.

"I just don't think that it is something that you should be trying too hard to reach when you are barely even aware of what is going on here. Not that I have any better idea what I am doing either." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to take what I was saying, to make her feel less awful about this, but I could not really just make her change her opinion on this whole thing super quickly, as such a thing would probably not even feel genuine.

"Anyways, what are you thinking your family is going to feel if they knew about us hanging out?" Whitney asked, and she was just looking at me, as if thinking that this was a important question, since she was clearly thinking that this was one of the most major things that we were having to deal with.

"I think that they will probably not actually care all that much. They might be kind of confused that you guys are like nine, but at the same time, I think that I am still close enough to your age that they would probably not think it is all that strange." I said, actually believing what I was saying, and I did not think that there was going to be any issue to this. I was thinking that when I was going to have to deal with her trying to get me to be more open about what I was feeling. Which was going to be kind of annoying in all honesty, her trying to get me to talk more about feelings.

"If you say so. I was just worried that they were going to tell you that they never wanted you to hang out with us again." After she had said that to me, I was then thinking about what she had said, thinking that there was a valid chance that such a conclusion would be made, but I did not think that they were really going to actually give much thought to it, unless if I made a huge scene out of it all.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, I think that your parents are going to possibly be the bigger thing to be worried about. I feel like they would be making a big deal out of me being around you guys and stuff." I said, and then after I had told them this, I was then thinking more about what I had said, and how much it was just kind of annoying that I was in a situation where I would have to deal with the idea of parents not approving of a friendship, when that stuff was none of their damn business, and I think that they needed to just do their own thing that was not going to create a controversy.

"I will just tell lie about your age if they meet you. I think that it would be pretty easy. Maybe just say that you're only ten." After Victoria said that, I was shocked to see that she was the one who was willing to do this for me, and I felt like if she was forced to, she would have been the first one to cave, and just admit something.

"And we will not be telling them about that kiss either. I think that the kiss is going to be the main thing that will push them away." After Whitney had said that, I was seeing a look of glee on her face, as if she was actually happy to think about that kiss all over again, and I felt like maybe one of these days, if I was having more courage, I would try it out again, and see if it would have liked it the second time around.

"Yeah, I think that she might be losing her mind if I ever tell her about that kiss. But it really does not matter. That is all in the past now. I think we just need to focus on other things." I said, and then after I was done saying that, I was then looking around at the girls and I was just wondering if they were going to have much to say here. I was thinking that perhaps when I would finally get them to break though, it would finally make some sense.

"Anyways, since we have finished talking about that, what could we really do that would be of interest to all of us?" I asked, and then after I had asked them this, I saw both sisters thinking about this, and both were looking like they had wanted to find something to do that could be able to include all of us in a positive context.

"I can't really think of any places to go to hang out that would be fun for all of us. I think that even if we can't find too much to do here, there is nothing wrong with just staying here for a few hours, and just talking and having some fun that way." After Whitney had said that to me, she was looking like she was finally able to focus on something once again, that was not a kiss or anything like that. I was thinking that with her obsession with this, maybe she might need to chill out with the whole kissing thing. That was all that she was even thinking about now.

"Yeah, I guess that just sticking around here might not be such a terrible idea." I said, and I was unsure of if I was fully buying into it. But at the same time, I was thinking that I might as well see what could get them to feel like they were able to be excited about anything at all. I was just wanting to them to think that I was going to be extremely flexible. Which in a way, I was feeling like I needed to be. I did not want them to feel like I was going to determine what they were going to be doing.

"So, what were you guys up to lately? Did you have any fun and exciting adventures?" I asked, trying to make it seem like their life could have been super special. I did not want them to think that their life was not all that fun. Since I was feeling like doing that was just going to make them think that it was not even worth talking to me. If I was just going to embellish in being a more exciting guy or something bullshit like that.

"We were just going around, and hanging out with our friends, doing our own thing. We felt like that would be something to sort of take our mind off of things." After Victoria admitted this, she was looking right at me, and she was clearly looking like she was wanting to say something else, but at the same time, she felt like there was no need to say what she was thinking, since in a way, she was feeling like maybe there was no point to even be making.

"Well, at least you were still enjoying yourself. That makes me feel a lot better. Knowing that none of what was going on earlier affected your ability to be going around and hanging out with your friends." I said, and then after I was done with that, I smiled at the fact that I knew that they were able to have some form of a life, and enjoy something with their other friends who they had known longer and better than they were ever going to be able to get to know me.

"We just wanted to make the most of it that we could, given the fact that our friends were probably missing us quite a bit, and we were hoping to sort of make things seem more exciting once again." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like those were the simple days, when they were only having to appeal to a certain amount of people, and not worry about what anybody else was going to be saying about them, on any regard.

"I am glad that there is something of your normal social life that is still keeping you together." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then thinking about what I had just said, and I was telling myself that the longer that I was trying to connect with them, the less likely that I was going to be able to do such a thing, and the more that I was going to be looking like that one strange guy who was attempting something too much, when it was just going to be simply out of reach.

"You know, I just think that maybe when we were thinking about how you were never going to be showing up again, I think that maybe we were just telling ourselves that we might as well do something else, to sort of get our minds out of the fact that this had happened in the first place." After Whitney told me this, she was then thinking about something else. Something that she would want to know. "Do you think that you are actually going to be sticking around this time? And not running off?" After she had asked me this, I was then sighing, thinking about the life that I would be living, and why I hated myself for the way that I was treating everybody, and the fact that I needed to treat others with more respect.

"I am going to try and stick around as long as I can, although I have no idea truly how long this is going to be." I said, and then after I was thinking about what it would be like if I brushed this whole thing off, I was thinking about what it would be bringing to them, and I knew that I just could not do something like this to them, since doing that was just going to be the worst thing in the world. And I would hate myself for it.

"Thanks for at least promising that you will try. I was worried that you were never going to be coming back, and that was going to be making us think that there would have been no point in coming back here in the first place, and that you would let us down." After Whitney said that, I was thinking about how I was going to be having a lot to make up, but that I was just going to be doing what I would have to in order to make my voice heard by those around me,

"I just wish that I was not so scared of doing things that I can to make it better for you all." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was just thinking about what I was even going to do now. If these people were ever to be feeling like they would be fully connected with me, then I was going to have to go out of my way to stick around as long as possible. Until life would just get too far in the way for me to do something like this. I did not know when that would be, but I knew that I was going to have to find a way to just keep myself at a calm and collected presentation.

"I think that if we stick around for too long, then we are just going to be wasting our time debating things that don't even matter anymore." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing them looking like they were glad that I was going back into my whole gung ho personality, and that I was not going to be messing around with them at that moment.

Eventually, I was just laying back on the couch, and then I was starting to close my eyes, as if thinking that if I stayed here for a bit, then I could just be able to brush off everything that was happening, and I would just act like we were all going to be totally fine and dandy with the fact that we were going to just have a good night and a good summer, and hopefully if things worked, a good friendship in the future. Where life was not something to be feared, but to be celebrated.

"Do you think that you will ever introduce us to your sister? I think that you may have mentioned her once or twice. Even if you haven't, I seen you walking around with her a couple of times, and it is safe to assume she is related to you." After Whitney told me this, I was then thinking about that idea a bit more. I did not know what to be thinking here, since that was going to be a area that would be taking everything too far, and would ruin everything.

"Well, I just think that for now, it might be best to leave that information out. You know, since it might be a bit much for her to now that you guys are not really our age or anything." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing both sisters thinking that maybe this was a smart idea, and that maybe I was actually being realistic on how something like this could have been a very bad idea in the long run.

"I think that she would not mind hanging out with us though. She might be shocked at the age, but she would probably get over it soon enough." After Victoria insisted this onto us, I was then seeing her looking like she was wanting to see how much more exciting that it would be if Mabel was hanging out with us. But at the same time, I did not know if she was really aware of what we were going to be doing now. I was pissed at this whole thing, because I wanted to finally make them feel like they were more welcome than they were probably feeling right now. But for the time being, I just did not know if it was really going to be possible.

"I will see how it goes. I mean, you might be right. But I am worried about how things are going to be right now." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then thinking about what it would be like if I introduced them to my sister, and how unlikely it was going to be that they would actually enjoy hanging out with my sister.

I was thinking that everything would be fine. "So do you guys think that life is going to be more fun when we hang out more often? Maybe when we actually are able to have more of a connection? I asked, and I was thinking that this was a good question, and I felt like maybe if Victoria was going to help me out feeling like this would be good, then maybe Whitney was going to be the one who would give me that sort of confirmation. I don't know though. I was probably just worried about things that were not really any of my damn business, and that one of these days, my fears were going to just sort of ruin everything that had been going on.

"I think that things are certainly going to be different." I said, and then I stood up, and I was looking right at both of the sisters. I was mainly stretching my legs, and then I was sighing, thinking of a way to get them to want to talk with me, and think that talking with me could actually be fun. "So I was wondering if you guys ever heard the horror stories that are going around about this town." I said, and then I was looking right at the two sisters, thinking that maybe as long as they were willing to be cool with it, then I could be able to tell them more stories of what was going on here. I felt like this was going to be the most fun thing that I could be able to do with them, at the moment at least.

"I think I may have heard of one or two. But I never thought much on it to be honest." After Victoria responded, she was looking right at Whitney, and was clearly wondering what Whitney would say to add to the conversation. "I mean, I think that when people just tell me these stories, or try to tell me, the whole thing seems to be a bit silly, and I have a hard time taking it very seriously." After she had said that to me, she was shrugging, thinking that maybe there was something that she was not getting about it, but for now, there was nothing that she thought could be real on this.

"Okay, well, since you have not heard of many of them, maybe I can talk to you guys about that stuff. It is a lot of fun, and the stories are very exciting in my opinion." I said, and I was truly hoping that they were going to agree with this sentiment, once I was to start to explain what was going on, and they might be buying into how I might be able to slightly over blow it for the sake of the excitement.

"What are some of the ones that you think we might be interested in hearing?" Victoria asked, and she was just sounding like she was genuinely curious as to seeing where this whole thing was going to go. And she was also looking like one way or another, she would like to know this truth than just spend several years wondering what the story was going to be, and if her assumptions on them were even going to be correct at all.

"Well, I was thinking about some things going on here, like the stories of monsters and stuff." I said, and I waved my hand around in a aloha way, trying to get them to be entranced by my visual story telling. I knew that I was being silly even at the moment, but I was just really in the moment, and I was going to just see how long it was going to take for them to really get engrossed in it all.

"The monsters aren't real. There is no way that monsters can be real. Those are just stories told to get people to listen to them about not getting in trouble." Whitney said, and then I was looking at her, as if thinking that what she was saying was very obvious, but I decided not be rude about it. Since I was just thinking that she was wanting to sort of see the idea behind everything herself. And I was thinking that maybe as long as she would not get it, I would have to sort of lead her through the whole thing.

"I mean, obviously monsters aren't real. But what if there was a slight chance that there was something going on there? You know, that there is something down under the ground, seeping around, and just on its own thing without anybody noticing?" I asked, and then I was thinking that there was only a small chance that something like this could be the truth, and that I did not need to worry about saying anything like this, and that it was just for the sake of the story.

"Then if monsters are not real, then how do you think that you can be able to make this story work?" Whitney asked, and I was kind of getting tired of her saying stuff like this, and I was just wanting her to listen to the fucking story, so I can be able to try to immerse myself in what I was talking about. And this non stop interrupting me was getting ready hard to handle. Even if I liked her as a person, she was one to really ruin the fun of things.

"Just listen, please. I am not saying anything about that. Just have some fun, and just lay back." I borderline snapped, and then I was sighing, wishing that even Mabel would be here to help them calm down, and just not be thinking too hard on something simple like this.

"So anyways, there is also a story that explains all of the people who are in this town, but are going missing on a regular basis." I said, and I was thinking that something like this could actually be able to get them to listen to me, and not be brushing off my story all the time. I felt like maybe when I would bring this up, they would actually also be taking the whole thing more seriously.

"What is that story?" Victoria asked me, and she was placing her hand under her head, as if thinking that this story was going to really enlighten her on everything. I was then thinking about how I could be able to get them to be taking this story seriously, while also not pushing them or anything like that. Since when I would be getting to the pushing, that was when they were going to be annoyed with me, and they were going to be thinking that I was taking whatever little fun there really could be to this whole thing.

"So I was hearing that there is something up at the mountains going on up there, and is causing all of this strange noises every few weeks. The idea is that the people who go missing are taken up there, and something happens to them there." I said, and then I was thinking about what I had just said. "I mean, there was that broadcast station which has not been active in several years. So I think that maybe there is something valid to this idea." I said, and then I was wondering what they were going to be saying to that. If they were going to be buying into the whole idea at all.

"I think that maybe there is something that can be true to this story, since I feel like certainly there must be something that is happening around the town that is getting everybody so scared." I said, and then I was holding up my hand, wondering what the sisters were going to be saying to my statement. If they were really going to go on and believe in any of what was being said, which I guess that maybe I would not blame them if they were thinking this whole thing was a bit odd.

And then after I had said that, I was looking at the sisters, thinking that if I went any further on this, they were not going to be able to fully buy into everything that I said. "And I think that it could always be a lot of fun to go on and see what is happening there. I just don't know how I will be able to go up there myself." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then sighing, thinking about what I could be losing out on, since I just wanted to see what they were even doing.

"I don't really think that there is anything happening there. If something was going on, then it would have been exposed by now." Whitney said, and despite the fact that she was saying this, I was seeing her looking like she was truly uncertain of if she was buying into this. She was clearly thinking that there might be a small chance that this was true, and she had no idea how to feel on this idea.

"Well, what do you think is actually happening there?" After she had asked me this, I was then thinking about that a bit, and I was still not sure what I should be saying. And if what I would say would have any form of justice to the situation. Which I felt like was going to be the more important thing to be thinking about here. How I would be able to tell the story in a way that would really fully capture what I was feeling.

"I think that maybe there are some people who might not exactly be monsters, but could be pretending to be such, in order to get people to fear them, and to think that they have something to be hiding from. By getting people scared, there is nothing that we can do." I said, and I was thinking that this statement was actually going to be a valid one, and I was truly feeling like there was a genuine chance that I was onto something here. Although I wished that I had not been.

"Do you think that you would want to know what is going on down there?" Victoria asked, and she was looking like she was really valuing my answer here. I was ware that whatever I said was going to have a profound impact on her, and that was the main reason that I was not going to be lying to her on any of this. But despite the fact that there was some interest in knowing the truth, I did not feel the desire to actually look in depth on any of this stuff.

"I don't know what I would want. I mean, the idea of looking for the truth, and getting some answer that way would seem to be helpful. But I don't want to fight. I don't want to force myself into something that I am not really even exactly sure if I would be able to actually handle." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she looked at me, as if feeling like she was slightly let down by what I was saying. Even though I had no idea why she was feeling this way for some reason.

"I think that since you showed such a interest in this, you might be perfect for finding out what is going on." After she had said that to me, I was then shaking my head, and I was feeling the fear of what she was saying and the context behind it all really sink in. I mean, if I looked, and I actually did it seriously, there was a good chance that I was going to be getting myself killed. And I did not want to create something like that having a very valid chance of being what would happen to me.

"I think that if I had a suicide wish, then yeah that would be wonderful. But right now, I am decently content with my life, and I would really not want to push it or anything by doing any of this." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was actually slightly let down by what I was saying. As if thinking that maybe I could have been onto something if I had just gone with it, and decided to do some of this searching. But then I was rubbing my chin, sincerely wishing that I had never said a damn word about this whole thing.

"You do not have to have a suicide wish to quench your thirst to finding something out." Whitney said, and then I was thinking that maybe they had a death wish for me or something like that. But at the same time, I did not think that they really had any ill will with this whole thing, and I was thinking that they were genuinely feeling like they had been helping out with this stuff, it was just that deep down, they were not, and this whole thing was just only really making this life that I was going to be living, hanging out with them, much worse than it already had been.

"I mean, I just had to be realistic. I don't really know what to be saying though. It just feels so strange, knowing that I could be on the cusp of something really interesting, but my own cowardice is preventing me from doing anything exciting, and I don't really want to try and see what it would be like if I went any deeper into this. I think that if I wanted to get any deeper into this, then I would have already just done that on my own." I said, and then I was thinking that I did not need to say any more since in my mind my logic was relatively sound.

"Alright, if you insist on this, then I will let you be on this. I was just interested in if you had any plans on the whole matter." After Whitney had said that to me, she was looking like she was just wanting to say something else to it. But at the same time, she had felt like she had pushed me hard enough on this whole thing that she would not dare mare it even more hard for me to deal with.

"Please just understand that I may be wishing that I was some brave person, but I think that something like this is just not a part of my personality. For better or for worse, I am just not that type of person, and I doubt that I will ever be. Please, just try to understand that I want to know what that guy was doing, and what his problem was, but that I am too scared to put my life on the line to do so." I said, and then I was shaking my head, feeling like I was just being a loser at this point in time.

"Do you think you would help figure this situation out if you were feeling like it would be putting your friends and family in danger? Do you think that something like this might be the push that you would need?" After Victoria had asked me that question, I was feeling like I needed to think about it, and come up with a honest answer. But I just had no idea which direction I was going to be taking with this whole thing, since I was unsure of if I was even brave of now.

"Oh yeah, if there was something putting their safety on the line, then I will drop whatever the hell I am doing, and I will fight until my dying breath if I had to. I just hope that I never have to get to the point where I would have to exercise that fear." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was wondering what the sisters were going to be saying to me, and then I was then just thinking that I would want to change the subject to be something more fun. Something that could be able to excite both of us in some form or fashion.

"I mean, what is it to you guys anyways? You guys should just be going around and having fun, and enjoying your summer, and not worrying about stuff like this. Can I please, please, go back to my folk tale?" I asked, and I was thinking that if I could go back to that, then I would be able to end the insanity of these people trying to do a giant analysis of me and stuff. One that I was just really failing to see the point of, and why they were even caring so damn much what I was thinking on the matter.

"Yeah, you can go back to that. Sorry for changing the subject so much." After Victoria said that, she was shaking her head, almost as if she was kind of feeling bad for this now, and felt like even if she did not know what to think of my story, for the sake of making up for her talking all the time, she would let me finish up, and just tell them more of my folk tale of this place.

"Alright, since I can now talk about that again, I am going to be getting right to it. So anyways, the story tells that the people who go missing end up at this place called the labyrinth. That is one of the more commonly accepted names. There are some other names like Borrasca, although for what I can understand, that does not really stick around as much. The point is that the people who go missing are forced to be sent there, where they will be gone for the rest of their lives." I said, and then I was thinking about what else to be saying here.

"People often say that this business is the direct cause of all the increased life style that we have been living in this town. But the thing is that none of us know if it is a business, or a stroke of really bad luck that all of these people are going missing on such a high amount of time. And then there are the theories about the grinder." I said, feeling like I was just getting more in character, and becoming more of a man who would tell them the stuff going on here rather than just a man trying to scare them for ten seconds with no real purpose.

"The grinding noise is rumored to the way that people meet their end when they are taken. I do not know if such a thing is true, but I have a feeling that there is indeed a chance that something like this could be the case." I said, and then after I had said that to the two sisters, both of them were looking like they were actually kind of horrified at the prospect of what I had just said, and they would probably want me to try and assure them that this is not true.

"I have no idea if such a thing is true, but when I hear those noises, and I think of the context of what is behind it, I do think that it is possible. The people who go missing in a few days after that are the monsters way of trying to balance out the fact that some of their prey is no longer usable." I said, and then I was smiling again, finally thinking that this was just a story that we would be able to have fun with, laugh off, and just think about how ridiculous this whole thing was.

"I think that if we learn that the monsters are real, then that is when we are going to have to accept that there is something possibly going on here, even if we do not know what that something really is. But I would be very interested in learning what that something really is." I said, thinking about how this could be a bit of a mystery to be looking into, and I almost wanted to see what it was going to be like if I learned the truth.

"If for nothing else, if people were really wanting to learn what this was, they might be able to have a fun mystery to be going into for this." I said, and then I was thinking about how such a thing could find something of value to a otherwise very boring life. But in a way, I was scared of what I would be doing if I found out what was going on here. "Although for your own safety, I would suggest that maybe you let the situation go, and let the mystery sort of take you away." I said, and I was just trying to be sounding as smart and helpful as possible when I had said that, and I was hoping that the sisters would take my advice on this one very thing if for nothing else, since I truly believed in it.

"Do you think that anybody else is going to be looking into it though? They might already be giving it a look without anybody knowing." After Whitney had said that, I was then shrugging, as if thinking that I could be able to use this as another piece of the story, the idea that nobody really knew what the hell was going on here, and that fearing sort of making things worse.

"There could always be something going on around this town. But we do not know what is happening, and we do not know who is trying to figure out if there is something happening. That could always be happening, but as far as I am concerned, nobody is up to anything like that." I said, and while I was being truthful, I was really hoping the sisters would be able to understand this, and not be acting like they needed to hear a bunch of other random things going on here.

"Alright, if you say so. I was just curious to see if you had any extra stories on that, since you seem to love making stories about this so much." After Whitney said that, slightly sounding down, I was thinking about something else that I could say that would make them feel better about what was happening. Something that could make her feel like there was more happening than she was really thinking right now.

"While I do not know if something is happening, if I were to ever find out that something was going on, I would be more than happy to oblige in telling you. I think that it would be a lot of fun finding out together." I said, and I was meaning it that time, but at the same time, I was not sure if there was really anything that we were needing to learn. Or if I was just taking something, and blowing it out of the water, and acting like there was more to it than I thought possible.

"I would be just as interested as you guys might be to learn if there is something going on, so I would not be pushing the story away if there is something happening. Although I might be telling you a slightly altered version to play with you guys a bit." I said, and then I was thinking that if I got involved with this whole ordeal, then I might be lying about it to make them not know what I was doing, and make them think that I was actually being smart, and not fucking up for different things.

"What if we end up being the ones who see it, and then you have to be the one who is told?" After Victoria asked that, she was clearly thinking that she had played a role reversal with me. But then I was looking at her, as if thinking that maybe she needed to try harder than that to get me to really say something. But I was glad that she was at least entertaining this whole thing, which made me feel like this story could be able to get somewhere after all.

"Well, if that is the case, then I hope that you would be willing to tell me the story of how that encounter went." I said, and then I was looking right at the sisters, as if sort of giving them that glare that I was being serious about this whole thing, and that I did not want them to be lying to me about not finding something if they were able to have a chance to do this. Both of them were looking like they were faking offense to the fact that I had looked at them like this.

"Alright, we will tell you everything that we learn, if we learn anything." Victoria said, and she was looking at Whitney, as if they were having something really funny between the two of them, and I decided that I was not even going to find anything to say. Since doing such a thing was just going to be making things harder for everybody else to follow. "We just did not know if you were going to have any excitement to learn about anything." After she had said that to me, I was then sighing, as if thinking that there was actually a good point in what she was saying, but I did not think it would matter all that much.

"Hey, thanks for listening to my story, and bothering to deal with me when there is nothing forcing you to." I said, and then after I told them that, I was thinking that saying such a thing would get to like me, and think that I was a nice guy, and that they were going to be thinking that I was going to be somebody who they would never want to not talk with. But despite that feeling that I was getting, I was then thinking about what it would be like if and when their parents would find out about me, and how they would totally ruin everything that we were having here.

"What are you going to be going when you go home tonight?" After Whitney asked me this question, I was shocked that she had shown any interest in that subject of all things. I was thinking that I needed to find something else to say, but did not feel like anything else was going to matter anymore. I decided that I would take a deep breath, be a man, and just tell them the sad truth of how boring my life actually really was.

"I don't really think that I am going to be up to anything when I come home. I think that I will be coming right home, and then I will be going to bed, and that is all that I will be doing. I think that I don't really have it in me to really go on and do anything else. Although I might go on and see you again soon." I said, unaware that the hang out in the next two hours or so would be the last time we hung out for quite a very long time, but that at least I told Whitney the way that I had felt.


	8. The New Frontier

Chapter Eight: The New Frontier

Hey, I have a strange story that had been bothering my mind for quite a while, and I really do not know how I can be able to fully describe the story out for you all. But I am going to tell you all the basics of it. The stuff that comes to my mind. The stuff that I can be able to comprehend, even if the whole thing is just a bit strange. The whole story started with a strange dream that I had one time, a night or two before the main real story really happened. But before we get too deep into this, I might as well tell you some stuff about myself, to get us to know each other.

My name is Takuya Kanbara. I was near the end of my eighth grade school year when this whole thing happened. I did not want to really do much with my life, but I was always wanting to be doing more than what was presented to me. I guess that I was the realistic type of guy that way. Wanting something that I could have been able to get realistically. And wanting something that I knew was going to be possible, for the sake of never being let down if I never got to have some cool adventure or anything like that.

As I was saying, the whole journey started when I was having a dream one night. The dream was rather basic, at least when compared to the other ones that would follow on a nightly basis for several weeks, that had actually served some form of a common story, and while I thought that narrative dreams like that were just never going to happen, they were always happening with me for a while. I did not think too much of this first one, since I had been just thinking that it was just me imagining my creativity. Which was something that would usually only happen when I was asleep, since outside of that and in real life, I never had a imagination.

The dream was showing me walking along and heading to school one day. As I was going to school, it was looking like it was just the normal me. I did not think about what I was doing at that moment. I was just thinking that this was a regular old slice of life thing, and for a part of the dream, it really was turning out to be just like this. I was walking along, going inside of my school, and just having classes for a couple of periods.

The first period passed with virtually no problem at all. The first class almost seemed like it was just a regular old story of life. When I had gotten out of the first period, I went to the second one, and I would rinse and repeat this cycle for the first three periods of the day before it was time to be going out to lunch. Despite the fact that I was thinking that this would be yet another normal day, I heard the school microphone calling me to the school office.

When I had heard the microphone calling me, I knew for a fact that I was not going to be able to get away with fighting this whole thing, so I would just walk right towards the office, and just get the trouble over with, and whatever they were writing me up over, I could be able to have something to be able to defend myself with, and then we could be able to just pretend like this whole issue never happened. I was thinking that when I was done with this conversation, I would just be more worried if my parents were going to learn of what I was having to deal with.

I sat down in the office, and I looked right at the principal. He was looking at me like he was having a very important offer to tell me about. I did not think about how strange this was, the fact that I was not being lectured, but more worried about what he was going to be offering me, and if he was going to try and find a way to make me get somebody else in trouble or something like this. "Young man, I was hoping that maybe I could be able to get you to help me out here. Something that has been approached to me, and I think that for my own reasons, that you are going to be the one who can help me out the most."

After my principal was telling me this, the honest truth was that I was interested in what he was going to be telling me, but at the same time, I felt like he needed to enlighten me more before I fully committed to this whole thing. "What do you need me to help you out on?" I asked, and then after I asked him this, the man was placing his fingers together, and he was totally looking like he was actually going to be playing me like a damn fiddle for this, and I was thinking that no matter what, this was something that I would not like to do.

"Well, I was given a contract by some rich people in this town to take care of something, and I was telling them that I think they would not be able to rely on me to take care of the job. I decided that maybe you would be better at the job, since you are somebody who does not really create much of a stir in the school, and you seem to be somebody who can probably do anything just fine." After he had said that to me, I was already thinking about how odd this was, but remember that this was a dream, so I was not thinking properly.

"What do you need to do? Where should I go?" I asked, and then after I had asked them this question, the man was smiling at me, as if glad that he was going to have me on board with this, and that in a way, he was going to be able to use me as a slave in his own right. I was thinking that I might as well just get this over with, and be able to help out this bloke while also helping these strange people who I would never meet, and then I could be able to go home, and just be on my own way.

"Just go to the blue tower a couple of miles away from here. You do not need to worry about being considered absent for the rest of the day. I gave you an excused absence, and you can go there and do whatever you need. Once you are there, I would suggest that you do not treat those people with anything else than the utmost respect. Doing such a thing will be able to get them to believe that you are actually willing to listen to their needs." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just really wanting to me to understand that I needed to get this in my mind. I was then slowly nodding, not getting it all the way, but thinking that I would be able to understand this better as we were getting through with this.

"Fine, I will do this. I have no idea what the point to this contract is, and why you want me to do it, but I will see what I can do to help these people out." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him looking like he was just really glad to know that I was not going to fall behind on this whole ordeal. I was then standing up, feeling like I was just needing to get out of this office, and pretend like the strangeness of this whole thing was not getting to me here.

I was then out of the office, and I was thinking that as long as I was going to be respectful to them, and that I did not make any scene, there was going to be nothing wrong with any of this. I was thinking that the biggest issue here was just the fact that I had no idea what the hell was even happening here. And when I had thought about that, I decided to just get it over with.

As I was heading on closer to the building, the more that I was wondering why this was such a big deal. Why I was needing to do this contract in the first place, and I was wondering what the contract would have been anyways. I was just wanting to know, even if it was going to be like getting myself in danger. Even though that might not really matter anyways at the end of the road.

I was getting near the building where I was supposed to meet this guy, and then as I was going inside, I was feeling like no matter what I was doing, I was going to be creating a lot of problems, and these people were going to be wondering why the hell I was here, instead of my principal. And I was going to have to find a way to convince them that I was the one who was sent here, who was supposed to help them out with whatever is going on here. I had no desire to help them out. But at the same time, I knew what I was going to be getting myself into if I had said no, since I felt like they were going to find a way to make my life utterly miserable in all accounts.

Once inside, I was then seeing that there was just a elevator to be going up. I was sighing, and thinking that the faster that I went up there, the better that things were going to be. I was just walking by, and I was seeing that there were people who were working here wondering what the hell I was doing. They were probably thinking about how I was going to be making a big scene out of nothing, and I felt like as long as I did not pay attention to them, everything would be fine.

I inside of the elevator, telling myself that I would tell them that I was not the guy, and that if I was going to be doing this, I was only going to make things worse for them, and that they needed to just let me go home alone, and that they were going to be better off with some form of a replacement. I was thinking about how this would be the only way that being here was actually going to be the best for everybody that was involved.

The longer that I was heading up the elevator to the top floor, the more that I was letting the utter fear of the situation start to be taking me over. I knew that I was going to be too scared for their own good to do anything anyways. I was just thinking that maybe I was a bit of a loser when I would be seeing them. My general presentation will almost be enough to get them away from me.

Once the door opened, and I was seeing that there were two people on the other side of the room, I was taking a long an deep breath, and I shook my head, telling myself that it was going to be best to get it over with. I was then starting to walk towards the two people, who as I was getting closer, the more that I was thinking that they were probably a married couple. I told myself to just take it easy, and not force anything, and see what they wanted to talk to me about.

I was then walking down the hall and when I had finished walking, I was looking right at the two people. The man was holding his hand out, and he was doing it in a way that was making it very clear that I was to sit down right away. I nodded, and then sat right down, looking at these guys. I felt like I just needed to find a way to present myself in a way where he was feeling like he was not going to be feeling betrayed by me or anything.

"Hello, I am assuming that you are the one that Mr Jackson sent to meet us?" The man asked, getting straight to the point, and thinking that any and all pleasantries were going to be worthless. I was then nodding, thinking that this man was going to be making me regret every single choice of my life if I did not give him my full attention. He nodded, as if feeling like this was all that he really needed to hear from me.

"Alright, since you are here, and we can be able to talk with each other for a bit, let's just get right to business. I think that you want to get out of here as much as I want to be getting my job done, and able to focus on the more important things of my business." After he had said that, he was then holding out his left hand for the lady right next to him, thinking that he would not break a moment of his general presentation. "This is my wife, and she has been my business consultant for a long time, you are going to have to treat us both with respect from now on. Since we are your bosses now."

"Why do you need me to be here? What is your offer?" I asked, trying to keep calm, and not freak these assholes out. I was thinking that as long as I was going to see what they needed, and I was going to be nice to them, then they might be thinking that there was indeed something to work with here. "Are you sure that I will be able to handle this job yet? I mean, I'm only fourteen years old."

The man was holding his hand up as if to tell me that he did not need me to say anything else. "I am not worried about things like that. I am giving you a job, and that is all you need to know. The job is that I need you to get something for me. Something that has been lost for a while now, and I want to make sure that it does not fall into the wrong hands." After he had said that to me, he was then looking like he was wanting to see if I was going to be supporting this plan or not. I was then just sitting all the way back, wanting to see what they were going to say now.

I was then taking a deep breath, and I decided that I was just going to be getting this whole thing over with. "What do you need me to retrieve?" I asked, and then after I had asked them this question, the two people looked glad to see that I was not messing around, and that I was actually going to be taking this whole thing seriously. The two then were pausing for a couple of seconds, before they were answer my question.

"We need you to break into a facility and you need to go into the deepest room of the facility, and steal a box, and come back here. The box is heavily protected, and we fear that if we send one of our employees out to get it, then we would be getting ourselves into a lot of trouble. But with you, we think that you would be able to do the job just fine." After they had said that to me, I was then thinking that this whole idea was insane, and that they needed to find somebody else who would be more willing to do the job for me. But I had a terrible feeling that they were not going to take no for an answer.

"Is there anything that you can be able to do to help me out with this at least?" I asked, and then I was seeing the two of them looking like they were wishing for me to slow down, and not be rushing on this whole thing too badly. But then they were just shaking their head, thinking that this was all that they needed me to do.

"We think that it would be best for you to be on your own, and that if we were to be giving you any advice on the matter, then people might be able to suspect that there is something going on here. We think that you are going to be better off just finding some way to piece together something that works for you." After he had said that, the wife was finally speaking for the first time in this entire conversation.

"You need to be very careful. This package is very important. We need to make sure that nothing happens to it. I don't care what you have to do to make sure nothing happens to it, but you have to be extremely careful. That is all that there is to the debate. When you head out, you will meet somebody who will give you the directions to the facility that you need to travel to for your contract." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she had wanted to say something else. But was feeling like she had sort of made her point now. I was then looking down, and sighing, thinking that I would get this over with. I accepted the offer, and stood up, ready to get this shit over with.

I felt like as I was going to be going down this contract, I was going to finally just get this whole thing over with. I had felt like when I was going to finally do this contract, then maybe I could be able to see why it was such a big deal. Why they were caring so much, and why I was the one who was meant to be taking care of this madness. I did not think that I was going to be the one who would help them out. But at the same time, I was thinking that if I found out the truth, then that was going to be a good reason for them to kill me or something silly like that.

As I was going down the elevator, I had felt like this whole story was just going to be getting out of hand. I was feeling like the entire story was a really fishy one, and that when I was trying to deny this whole thing, and deny the fact that they were wishing me to do this, I felt I was only going to just be making things so much worse for myself and everybody else who was involved.

I eventually was outside of the building, and I was wondering if I could at least be able to go home before I was forced to fight this stupid story.

I was thinking that I needed to at least try. So when I had decided that, I was then nodding, and I was taking a few steps to my house. But then as I was heading out, there was a voice that was calling me for me. I stopped, and then I looked right at the man in the black outfit that had called towards me, and he was walking right in my direction. For some reason, seeing this guy was giving me the creeps, and I was feeling like something was going to be happening very soon.

"What do you need?" I asked, and then he was looking at me, and he was pulling something out of his pocket. I was then starting to remember what that couple has told me before I left. That I was going to be getting the directions, and then I was sort of telling myself that I needed to just listen to them, and that the more that I work with them, the more that I was going to be fulfilling the purpose that they had given me.

"This is the info that you need to fulfill your contract, as well as the small amount of items that they do feel like you are in liberty of being able to earn. They feel like this is what you need to get a good start on this." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he had wanted to find something else to say. But that for the time being, he was just looking like he was really hoping that I would not fuck up the one thing that had been given to me.

"Thanks for giving this to me. I will probably need it." I said, and then after I was telling the man this, I was sighing, unable to fucking believe that this whole thing was happening. I would not be able to believe that these people were forcing me into a job that I knew nothing about, and was probably going to be getting me killed if I was not careful enough.

I was unable to comprehend the fact that I was suddenly one of the most important people in Wayside, and nobody would know what I was doing. I was then placing the white bag inside of my back pack, and then as I was starting to walk off, the guy said something else to me. As if he was wanting to make sure that I was not going to be falling behind on this, and not fulfilling the purpose of this contract.

"If you don't go through with this contract, you will be putting everybody you know and care about in danger. And the question that I have to ask you is if you think that this is going to be worth it, just for the idea of not dealing with this." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was hoping that I would get the point of what he was saying. Despite the fact that I was wanting to say otherwise, I was smart enough to know the look on his face, and that he was being very serious about this.

"Alright, you guys made your point. I will get to work on it when I first get my chance. I just want to clear up some things first." I said, and then I was starting to walk off to my house. For real this time. And besides, I was feeling like perhaps if I would just do it tonight, I can drop the item off tomorrow, and then I would be able to go home, and pretend like this never happened. I was feeling like this was something that even if it was extremely strange, it was not going to really be all that big of a deal.

The walk was just filled with ideas and fear of what the hell I was going to do now. I was scared out of my fucking mind, and I was not going to pretend like this was not the case. I mean, these people were really going to be having a titanium rule on my life for the next several days, and I was having a fear that there was no way that I was going to be able get the fucking hell out of this whole thing. I was scared, not for myself, but for the family that I had, and what would happen to them.

I was starting to feel like I was totally overwhelmed by everything that was going on here. I was thinking that when I would finally have a idea of what I was supposed to be doing, then I was going to finally know what was ahead of me. I was going to be looking at the material, and then I was going to put it all behind me, and not be super worried about what we were doing now.

I was near my house, and then I was just thinking that if my parents were going to be asking me what I was doing, I would tell them that I had a note excusing me to be sick for the rest of the day. Which I mean, he did technically tell me, so I would not even be lying to them if I had said something like this. I was just hoping that they were not going to be forcing me to be telling them anything else that I did not wish to know.

I was at the door, and then I was opening it and I was looking inside, and I was shaking my head, knowing that this was the very last time that I was ever going to be able to go in here, and do so without any negative effects coming from what I would be doing. I was then just thinking about what I was even do when the contract was done. I had a feeling that this contract was going to be the first of many, and that I was probably going to have to say good bye to everything going on in my entire life. Which I was going to be hating more than anything else now.

I was walking to my room, and I was seeing that both of my parents were just watching television or something, and that I did not need to worry about them calling out to me. Once I was inside of my room, I was then laying down on my bed, telling myself that I needed to just sleep it off for an hour or two, and then I was going to go on and read the contract right after that, and see what I was going to be getting myself into when I was seeing this.

I was closing my eyes, and I was going to just tell myself that everything was all good and dandy. I was just placing my hand on my face, and then I was starting to let the fatigue take me along. The entire time that I was sleeping, the more that I was just sort of letting myself forget about the fear that I was having, and thinking that it was not that big of a deal in all honesty what they were going to want me to be doing.

When I woke up from my sleep that time, I was pulling out the stuff that I was given in my contract. I was feeling like I was going to just need to read it, and see what was going to be coming out of this. I did not think too much of this, and I was feeling like when I read it, everything was going to finally make some sense, and that I did not need to be looking too much into that whole thing. I was seeing that there was a blue card, and there was a note that was attached to the card.

"This is a immunity to buying or going anywhere underage. All you need to do is show whoever will get in your business about your age this card, and any place in wayside will just let your age slide, and you can buy it legally. That being said, this will only apply to you, and if you try to reach this out for other people, they will not let it work. To start you on this road, we also left a small amount of money that you are given for just accepting the contract. Once you return the item to us, an amount that is equal to three times the amount will be given to you." The note finished, and then with that, I placed the note inside.

I saw that there was another small envelope and then I took it out. I was reading the envelope and saw that the money was twenty five hundred dollars. I was shocked at this. I would get ten thousand dollars for doing this contract, and by turning it in, I could submit some amount to my parents, without them noticing, and then I would be rich. I was actually thinking that if I did this, I could become one of the most powerful students in Wayside.

I then pulled out a but more from this white bag, and then I was seeing that there was a large file. I was looking at the file, and opened it up. I was seeing that it was telling me the exact building that I needed to, and this was starting to give me a looking spot. I knew that this was going to be all that I needed. I was shaking my head, almost unable to believe that I was actually doing this in the first place, and then I was laying down on the bed, thinking about the fact that I just needed to do it.

The next few hours had passed, and I was feeling like I was finally going to be over it all. I was standing up, placing my school work on my table, and then I was placing the blue card and the money in my pocket in case if I had needed that for later, and then I was placing the file back inside of my back pack. I did not think that what I was doing was going to actually be all that dangerous, so I was just going to walk out, and I was going to pretend I was going to hang out with my friends.

When I was placing my hand on the door, I shook my head, unable to believe what I was doing. I could not believe that I was actually forcing thinking about doing this in the first place. I was telling myself that I was going to be getting in so much trouble if my parents found out what I was doing, and in a way, I did not give a shit. I was going to just do what I would need to do to make things better for everybody else.

Then I opened up the door, and then I was heading out of the door. I hated what I was doing. I did not care though. I had to do this in order to actually keep myself safe, and I knew that my safety was the only thing that even mattered now. The only thing that I felt like mattered. Was getting the contract done while also being safe along the way.

As I was outside, I was seeing that the sun was already almost totally set, and I was thinking that this was just the way that I could be able to sneak along in night just fine. Finally being able to walk along and not have to deal with there being a large sum of people coming along and trying to bother me for various and totally random reasons. And I was thinking about how annoying something like that would have been to deal with.

I was walking for a while, thinking about what I would do to finally have a chance to pull this whole thing off. I was thinking that maybe when I would get to the point where I was going to have to do the breaking in, I would start to think about how I should have planned this whole thing out a bit better. I was thinking that I was going to be sort of regretting the life that I was living, and needed to just actually think about what I was doing to make my life better. To sort of realize why I was going this low with my entire life. It felt like it was just a bit much to really try and consider.

I eventually was thinking about what I would if I found the item anyways. I mean, there was the giant building that I could go up. But the truth was that if I came there the place was probably going to be closed anyways, so I would not even be able to return it anyways. Then I would have to be forced to stay at my house for the night, thinking that maybe I could just turn it in at the start of the school day, and then just be done with this.

I was going to have to think about what the hell I would do to make this work. I mean, if my parents knew that I was out so late, they would be pissed at me and they would ground me if they saw me come back. If I stayed out though, they might think that I was asleep in my room, and they might be thinking that I went to school early if they saw me not in my room anyways. I felt like that was what I needed to do. I just needed to find a way to some place to stay at for the night. And with the blue card, that was something that could have been able to happen.

I told myself that this was just going to be the worst thing that I could do. I was going to be getting myself killed, and that was the only way that I could be able to describe it. I was going to be doing something that was going to kill me. And that was probably realistic. I also felt like I needed to get something to defend myself, in order to make sure that I was going to be ready for anything that can happen. Which I knew was the smartest thing I could do.

I felt like there had to be something going on with that box. That this box was probably the most important thing in the entire world, if they were going to be going this far out of the way to try and find it. I felt like perhaps I needed to just finally find something to bring the connection together. Something that could make me understand why this was such a big deal anyways, and not be doing so in a dangerous way.

I was getting closer to the facility that I was supposed to break into, and I was telling myself to just go right inside and then deal with the job this way. I was thinking that the facility must either be well guarded inside or really easy to get this item, since I was seeing no protection near by, and I felt like maybe I was going to be able to go right in, and just act like I was totally going to be fine. So I was walking towards the door with no thought to it at all.

I felt like everything was going to be all fine, and that I would just need to go in and grab the item that I needed, and then be out with it, and then this whole fiasco could just be over with in a matter of a few minutes, and that all I would need to worry about was giving it back. I felt like there was no way that this was going to be all that hard of a case, and that I was thinking if they were able to rely on a fourteen year old to do this, it must be pretty easy.

As I was inside of the building, I was looking for the people who were just seeming to be doing their own thing. I was glad that I had read the notes before I left, since I was still remembering where I was supposed to go. I went right to the direction of the bathroom first, knowing that this was the good first step, thinking about what I was going to be doing now. I was thinking about how fucking insane this was, and how much it was going to be making me feel like I was fulfilling something of value here.

Once I was near there, I waited for a few seconds, to make it look like I was somebody who was tired from all the walking and needed a break, which was only a half lie. And then when I had sat around long enough, I felt like I was waiting long enough to just walk on and get along with my contract, since I had felt like I had played the roll enough.

I went down the hallway for a bit, and then I was feeling like as I had done this, I was just being a very casual player, thinking about what I was going to do when I would be in the main room. I was seeing the first door that I was supposed to be going down, and I opened it when I saw that nobody was around. Then when I was walking down the hallway, I was thinking about how much I was going to be pulling this off with a little bit more stealth, and I knew that this stealth was one thing that I never thought I would have, but I really did have it after all.

When I closed the door behind me, I was then taking a deep breath, and I was just walking down for several more feet, and every time somebody was looking like they were coming by, I hid behind a wall, and I did not make a single noise, and I felt like my weight was very important here since without being super fat and stuff, that saved me a couple of inches that people could be able to see when they were walking by. I was then starting to think that maybe there was a good reason to be picking me after all, and not some other person who could have been able to fuck this up.

Every time somebody passed by and I was certain they were no longer in ear shot, I would walk along and make another several feet of progress, and I was slowly going through all the rooms, in all the hallways this way, and I was eventually thinking that this place seriously had the worst security in the entire world that I was able to get away with something like this with relative ease.

I was eventually reaching the door to my main target, and I was shaking my head. I could not fucking believe the fact that I had made all of this progress. I felt like when I was doing this, I was just going to have to open up, and go inside. If I wasted another second, I was going to risk getting caught in this area, and that the people here were going to hurt me mercilessly. But that did not matter once I was inside of the room, and I was seeing that there was a lot of blue lights, and that there was a podium.

As soon as I got inside of the room, there were a bunch of red lasers that shot across the room all the way to one foot or so in front of the podium, I was starting to realize the hard part was not breaking in, and the hard part was actually making it through these without fucking dying. Even if I was unsure of how that could even happen at all.

As I realized how hard this was going to be, I was taking a deep breath, and then I was starting to step over the first couple of lasers, and while I had to think about several of them, and I knew that if I got hit by one I would either get part of my body cut off or I was going to alert the building this way, I was just making it through every single one of them slowly. I was thinking that after a while, the bigger fear I had was just making it to the other side without like sweating, or slipping on a laser behind me or something like that. I knew that I needed to be very careful, and that this was going to be the one thing in my life that I was going to need to be careful over. In order to have any chance of getting the hell out of here, this was all that I needed to worry about.

When I was getting closer to the podium, there was a small part of me that felt like I needed to know why these people did not do it for themselves. I felt like maybe when I would see them, I would ask them what the issue was. I mean, this was kind of easy, and if a guy like me with no experience was able to do this so easily, I would think that maybe I could be able to tell them that this was something that they should have just done and not forced me to do.

Eventually, I was reaching the podium, and I was taking a long and deep breath, as the lasers were still there and I felt like escaping with the lasers was going to be even worse, you know with the box and everything. I did not think much of it though. I grabbed the fucking box, and took a damn breath. I mean, come on, it was like the hardest thing that I had ever done in my entire life. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe I could be able to give the box a look. Just to see what the hell was in here in the first place. Why the hell these people wanted me to get the box anyways.

As I was placing the box, which was rather small in my pocket, I was then thinking that the idea of not knowing what was in here was going to be the hardest thing about this whole thing. I was turning around and saw the lasers fading, and I was sighing, thinking about the fact that maybe I was getting myself too invested over something that was not really my problem.

I was walking down the hall, and I was just telling myself that I would probably just go right to my house, being grounded be damned. If my parents wanted to yell at me for something, I could just tell them that I needed to work on something very important, and then I would be able to get out of it this way. I was thinking that they would be able to understand, thinking that they would be shocked and confused, but they would justify what I had done with something related to my own personal life.

As I was out of the room, I was then thinking that getting out of the office was going to be much easier. I would probably be able to get out much easier than I got in, since I did not need to worry about looking scared or anything like that as I was getting out of here. I felt like as I was just walking along, I was going to just act like I was being a normal fucking guy for once.

I was then thinking about what my parents would be thinking when they saw me. They were going to be yelling at me, and acting like I did something very wrong, and that I should be ashamed of myself, and that I needed to fucking get the hell out of this mindset of mine and grow the fuck up for the people around me. Or something silly like that. I was going to just have to find a way to take it easier when I was out of here, and I was feeling like everything was going to be fine. I was about to head out when there was a voice calling out to me.

As I was looking behind me, I was confused when I was seeing that the person who was calling out to me was a young girl who looked like she was probably like eight or something like that. I was just confused at what the hell I was going to be telling her, thinking that this was just really damn strange. That I needed to find something else to say to her to make her feel better.

As I tried to find something to say to her, I was feeling more and more like I was going to be just too confused to do anything else. Then I was looking at the streets, feeling like I needed to get the hell out of here. Knowing that if I stayed here for too much longer, people who worked here would know that the item I stole was gone now, and then they would be coming after me. I was feeling like I needed to just get the heck out of here before I could increase the chances of something like this happened.

I decided to just come up with a basic response. "What is it that you need?" I asked, feeling like as long as I was being polite to her, she was going to feel like maybe I was reaching out just enough, and that I could be able to give her a chance to talk. "I mean, I am short on time, but if you need something really quick, I might be able to help you find what you need." I said, and then after I was saying that to the girl, she was looking like she was just feeling awful for trying to reach out to me.

"I'm really scared." After she had said that to me, I was wondering what was scaring her so bad. I was still looking at the building, feeling like I really was pushing my luck, and that if I stayed here for a while longer, I was going to just make a bunch of things worse for everybody involved.

"Where are your parents right now? I can stay long enough to bring you to them, but I should not stay around too much longer." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking as if she was too scared to give me a true answer on this. I did not know what was bothering her so much, but I felt like if I watched her long enough, I could be able to get the answers that I needed on my quest.

"They are not here. That is why I am so scared. How they are going to react when they see me again." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting me to get it. But at the same time, I was feeling like even if I wanted to get it, I would not be able to understand. I would not understand what the point in this whole situation really was.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay here for too long. I can't stay here and talk about this. If you need something you can tag along I guess. But I need to be going out now." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing the girl looking like she was kind of sad at me saying stuff like this. Like she was wishing that I would have stayed long enough to have her explain.

"Do you know what you are actually getting yourself into?" She asked me, and then after she was asking me this question, I looked at her and was thinking that she was being strange with this question. I mean, how did she knew that I was doing something like this. How did she actually know that I had gotten myself involved in such a thing in the first place? For some reason, it was this comment that made me feel very different on this whole thing.

"You better explain to me what you know. And don't give me any bullshit." I said, and then I was holding my finger up, as if making her understand that this was not to be messed with. I was not going to let her pretend like she had the authority on me. She was looking down, as if feeling like maybe she was going to just let me show her authority on this after all. Even if she was feeling a bit worried about the context behind this all.

As I was walking along, I was seeing her walking right to my side, and she was starting to look like she was ready to be getting to the main conversation that was happening. "I know that you were given a contract by some people, and you actually have the thing that they want." After she had said that to me, I was then feeling like this was much too strange. I was thinking that perhaps when I would try to see how she would know all of this in the first place.

"How do you even know this in the first place? I mean, this is something that was highly classified, so you would have had to be there when this whole thing happened." I said, and I was thinking that there was no point in denying the truth, thinking that maybe she was going to find a way to explain herself on how she as fine and stuff. But in all honesty, I was not really in the mood for this.

"I wasn't there, but I know how these people run this business. I know that they are going to use you, and then throw you away when they are done with you, because you have fulfilled their own purpose, so once you have done your job, there is going to be no more need to have you at their side anymore." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she had been hoping that I would understand what she was coming from here.

"You know what, I am going to get us a hotel tonight, and the moment that we get inside that room, you better explain to me what you know." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was looking right at her, and I was giving her a look that was showing her that I was not going to be messed around with on this. I had wanted to know the truth, and she was going to tell me everything that she had known.

"Fine, I will tell you what I feel like is going to be safe." After she had said that to me, she was looking like this was going to be one of the biggest regrets that she was having. Letting me know all of this stuff when in all reality, she was worried that I was not going to be taking it very well. And she was not totally wrong. But I was more bothered by her not saying anything.

"I want to know how you have a clue about this stuff in the first place? I think that when you let me know this stuff, I might be able to have some form of idea of what the hell I am going to be setting myself up for." After I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking a bit worried that this was not really going to be working out in her favor after all. But we were walking along, and I was thinking that I needed to try and get to know this woman a bit better.

"I feel that when I explain everything, you will know everything that I am talking about. You will understand why this is such a big deal." After she said this to me, I was then thinking that she was going to have a long way to go before she had fully earned my trust. But when I was going to be trying to get her to support me, I would see why she was wanting to see me around in the first place. Why she cared to see what I was trying to accomplish. And what she would be trying to accomplish by trying to get me aware of this stuff. I felt like there was a lot of stuff that she needed to get me to understand, and a lot I needed to understand about her as well.

"I don't know if I can trust this whole thing. But the only reason I am not brushing you off is because I have to admit that there is something very strange going on here, and I feel like maybe I need to be careful on what I am doing. To make sure that I am not going to be getting myself into something very messed up here." After I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was glad that I was at least being smart about who I was going to be supporting, and who I was feeling like I could be able to at least start to suspend my disbelief about being able to trust here. I just had no idea where this was going to be going.

We were getting near a hotel, and as I was heading on there, I was thinking about what the heck I was going to be doing now. I was thinking of how I could be able to converse with that lady now. She was needing somebody to talk to, and I was going to see what I would be able to do to make it all work for her. "Hey, besides, I am wondering, what is going on with you and your parents anyways?" I asked, feeling like this was a relatively valid question, and I was just feeling like I needed to see what I would do to make her feel like she would be able to be more open with me.

"Well, it is a really bad situation right now. I would not really want to drag you into this whole thing. Besides, I think that maybe you are needing to worry about yourself. Considering the fact that you have no idea who they are. They are people that you do not want to mess with. That is something that I can confirm to you right now." After she was telling me this, I was sighing, feeling like she was never going to let me know what the hell was even happening at this point in time. Since this whole thing was just a bit crazy to even fathom.

"Alright, if you say so. But I don't want to get in trouble if what you are saying is true, and that is the main reason why I still have to return your home, and see what I can do to make this better." I said, and then after I was saying this to her, I was starting to just tell myself that I needed to see it from her perspective. "I mean, if my parents knew what I was doing right now, they would be yelling at me, and acting like I am creating some damn crimes or something."

"They will probably think that I can't be trusted. Maybe I can't. But I think that what I am doing is far more important than anything else here." I said, just feeling lost here. "But I guess that maybe since I do not know what it is like where you live, I will just have to take your word for it. I would be more interested in getting to know you soon." After I had said that to her, she was looking at me, and then she was looking like she was still unsure of what to say, but decided that maybe she needed to just give me a chance, and that maybe getting to know me was not such a bad idea after all.

"I think that if I told you everything, you might be more bored than you thought you will be. So I am not going to be forcing this onto you. I think that you would learn it would be best to keep that to yourself." After she was saying that to me, I was unsure of if she was right, but I decided not to fight her on this at all.

We were near the parking lot of the hotel, and then I was taking a long and deep breath. "Hey, when we are done with this, I would like to know what your name is. Since I think that this is the least that you owe me when this is done." I said, and I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to find something to say to argue with this, but that when she was thinking about this, in a way, she was thinking that she could not even fight with me. That fighting with me on this was something that I truly did not deserve given the situation of how I was wanting to try and look out to her.

"Alright I will do it. But only if you remind me when we are at my place. If you don't remind me, I won't be doing this. But I think that you might find it to not be all that big of a deal when this is all done." After she was saying that to me, I was wanting to say more to her, but that I just needed to not say anything at all. I was going to have to do my best to get her to see that her name was something that I found to be important.

"I think that you are going to need to make some friends when this is all said and done. I think that your life could be a lot more exciting with something like that to help you out." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she was looking like she was finding this comment to be rich. The fact that she was thinking that I was having a more exciting life here.

"Trust me, if you think my life is boring, then you are going to be sorely let down. My life is not at all boring. In fact, it might be too interesting for my own good. It might be something that you would never really want to get into." She said, and then she was laughing at this, and then I was just feeling like I needed to really know what was going on now.

"I have to really get to know what is going on with you. I think that this is the least that I should be getting now. But I guess that this is not all that big of a deal. I think that maybe we should try and compare and contrast with each other a bit more when we are out of this." I said, and then after I had said this, we were getting inside of the hotel, and I rented a room for the night for us to have.

Once I was inside of the hotel room, I was looking right at the girl when she was sitting down on a chair. She was looking like she was wanting to finally see what I was feeling right now, but I felt like such a thing was just really hard to accomplish. I was feeling like perhaps since we were here, I was going to be nice to her, and then by being nice to her, I could be able to make something like this work out for the better.

"Hey, sorry for pressing on this whole thing so much. I just feel like I need to know what the hell is going on here. But I guess that talking to you about this stuff is just a bit strange." I said, and then I was starting to place our shoes on, and then I was starting to rub my eyes a bit, realizing just how tired I really was here. But I was feeling like this was going to be impossible to even try to put together now.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, I just met you, of course this whole thing might be a bit hard to understand. But I guess that maybe you just are sort of wanting to do more around here that can actually help you out now." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was just a little bit unsure of what she was going to be saying now. She looked like she was just going to feel down about what I was even fucking doing here.

"I will probably be waking up really early to deliver that box, and then I will be going home. I mean, I know that for some reason, you think that this is a terrible idea, but I think that I have no choice. If I want to have any chance of surviving, I need to do this. If I don't turn it in, I will not survive. There is nothing that I can do about it. If I do turn this back, they might let me go." I said, and then after I had said that to the girl, I was seeing her looking like she was rather conflicted on the matter.

"You might be stupid if you really think that they are going to be letting you go. But maybe you feel like there is hope to this yet, and maybe that is something that I am going to respect. That is something that I have to sort of understand is a part of you, even if I just do not get it." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more to this, but could not really find it in herself.

"I don't really have a clue of what to be doing right now. I just feel like this is a bit hard to understand." I said, and then I was just sort of trying to find something to say that could make them feel like I was not going crazy here. But at the same time, she was just wanting to make me feel like there was something good about where my direction here was going.

As I was saying this, I was hearing something on the door. I was looking at the girl, and then I was starting to say something to her really quietly, hoping that for once in my life, she was going to actually listen to me, and that she was not going to be fighting with me on this debate. "Get in the bathroom now. I do not want this guy to know that you are here." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more, but that in a way, she was too scared to fight with me on this case, and then she was heading on to the bathroom.

Eventually, I was going to the door, and then I was taking a long and deep breath. I was thinking about what I would be saying to this bloke when I was seeing him. I opened up the door, and then I was seeing that it was a guy wearing a grey suit with a white shirt under it. He was looking at me, as if wondering what I had been feeling right now. "Hey, I was wanting to talk to you about some things." After he had said that, I was telling myself not to look at the door of the bathroom, to make it not obvious that this girl was in there.

Once he was inside of the room, he was looking right at me. "So, have you been up to something that you should not be? I mean, surely there must be a reason somebody as young as you are going out here and doing stuff alone at night." After the man was saying this to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see what I would be saying now. I was then shaking my head, feeling like I needed to just at least pretend like nothing was going on.

"Listen to me, I have no idea what the hell you are talking about. If I did, then I would probably be in deep trouble, and there would be nothing that I could do about it. But that is not possible here." After I was saying this to him, the man was looking like he was wanting to find something else he would say to me to get his attention, but that was just simply not even going to be too feasible at the moment.

"I mean, I think that I heard from some associate of mine that you were given a contract to do something very important, and I think that I need to know how that contract is going to be handled right now." After he was saying this to me, he was looking like he had wanted to say more, but that he was wanting to see how far he was going to be able to push his boundaries with me.

"I mean, there might be something going on. But I got it under control. There is nothing that you need to be getting yourself involved in. I think that if I were to try and tell you more, then you will be feeling let down. Please, just relax and mind your own business." I said, and then I was glad that I placed the box under the pillow when I had come in, before even the other girl noticed. I was laying down on my bed, feeling like this was going to give me the impression of the chill dude.

"I have been doing just fine on my own, and I want to try and see how I can do without you or anybody else at my side." I said, and then after I was saying this to the man, I saw him just looking like he was wanting to see if I could be able to say more to him that was going to get him to break me down in a way. But the guy was looking like he was all fine with watching me struggle.

"I want to believe that you are fine on your own, but this is your first time at such a matter, and I want to make sure that nothing is going on right now that is going to be getting you killed and stuff." After the man said that, I was seeing him looking like with him speaking like this, he had hoped to assert this idea that I was fucked without him at my side, and by doing this, he was going to be able to take full control of this operation. I knew that any little validity that I had at that point was going to be thrown away, and that I needed to make sure that this was not going to be done.

"I will not need you to do this. For once, I got something on my own here, and that I do not need to have somebody telling me how to be doing my job. I think that when you are able to see that I am all fine here, then you will be able to feel better about just letting me do my own thing." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, he was looking like he was wanting to see me break, but that doing this was probably going to be impossible after all.

"I really hope that you know what you are doing here. If you do not, and you end up failing this contract, then I think that you need to give the job to me, and I will take care of this for you." After he was saying that to me, I was wanting to see what his investment to this really was, but that he was just not going to tell me what mattered at the end.

"I will probably be seeing you again at some point during this whole thing, and if something were to happen, then I will let you know what the issue is here. Once I know what the issue is, then I will be fine on my own." I said, and then after I saw him looking at me with something like the total most cliche evil look, I was wanting to laugh at him, but I knew that doing that was probably going to be getting me killed, and that laughing at him was going to only make things even worse.

"And every time I see you, I will want to know what exactly you are doing. I will need to have a precise progress report every damn time, and you know that this is going to be the only way you have any chance of surviving." After he had said that, I knew that he was really wanting to give me that evil impression, but at the same time, I felt like I needed to just see what the issue with this guy really had been. Then as he was saying this, he was seeing me looking scared, and it worked enough to where I held up my hand as a way to tell him that I got it.

"Okay, you made your point. I just wanted to do something that I was told to do on my own. I did not want to be have somebody else do my own job." I said, and then I was hoping that maybe that was something he could almost be able to respect. Something that even if he did not get it, he was going to be able to look at and ass as something that he could understand as a good development for him.

"Alright, I will let you go for now. But I will give you one more chance to make this work." After he had said that, he was walking down the room, and then he was placing a hand to his right ear, and then he was sighing, and starting to speak really quietly. As if he was wanting to try and find something else to do. Like this was something that he actually hated to do. But that he was aware in his mind he was going to have no choice but to do what he was being commanded to do. Then with that, I was looking at the bathroom door, knowing that protecting that girl is the only thing that mattered. Since I had a pretty good idea what was going to be going down, and I was telling myself that I had to at least try and get myself ready for this. Even if that was going to be fucking impossible, the attempt at least had to be made.

I truly had no idea what the hell I was even going to do to protect her, since I truly felt like something was going to be happening, and I had to find a way to get her out of her. I needed her to see that this was a terrible idea, and that I was going to be sort of on my own when this was happening and stuff. I was thinking that this fight was going to be a fucking nightmare, and that this nightmare was going to be one that I needed to at least try and calm before it was to be getting too out of hand.

"Hey, is there something going on?" I asked, trying to pretend like I was not fully aware of what was going to be happening next. I was thinking that this was going to be the only thing that would keep me safe. So when I was thinking about how much I was going to need to pretend like I was not aware of how much danger I was in, I was seeing the guy starting to be coming to me. Like there was a small part of him that did not even want to do this, but that he was going to do what he had to since it was a contract, and that the contract was the only thing that mattered.

He was getting a few feet away from me, and then he was pulling out a gun, and then he was holding the gun right at my direction. Then when he was holding his gun towards me, a part of me was feeling like there was no way in hell I was going to be getting out of this alive, and that I just needed to try and find a way to keep that girl safe enough for her to escape. And at this point, I was almost starting to think that maybe this girl was telling me the truth on what was happening.

"It's just business. I was willing to give you one chance to pull it off. I thought that maybe it was the least that you deserve after everything that had been going on. But my bosses say that something like this is just not possible, and I think that we are just going to have to accept what is happening." After he was saying this to me, I was looking for a way that I could be able to fight back on him to have a small chance of surviving this battle.

So with that, I kicked him right in the face, and then he fell down to the ground, and then he was looking right at me, as if trying to find something that he was going to say to me. The gun was on the ground as well, and then he was grabbing it, and then he was pointing the gun right at me, and then he fired the gun, and I went out of the way this time, and the bullet hit the window, which broke the hell out of it.

When I saw him looking at me, as if wanting me to just die and get it over with, I was jumping right on him, and then I punched him, and then he was still holding the gun as tightly as possible, and then he started to pull it back, and then the gun fired again, and this time the bullet was going through the lower part of my chest, and then I was walking back a bit, with the blood starting to fall on the ground, and I was sighing, knowing that there was a chance that I would be dead now. Then with that, I was seeing a chair that I could use. I picked it up, ready to use that as literally my only fighting weapon, as I was feeling like I was slowly losing my thought on life.

First I threw the chair at him, which hit him in the chest, and then he fell down to the ground, and then I was slowly going towards the chair, and then picked it up. Then with that, I swung the chair at his face, and this started to create some splinters in the area, and I was finally feeling like I had a lead on this guy for the first time ever.

I was then seeing him fall back to the wall a bit, and then I was seeing him still holding the gun, and then I kicked him right in the balls, and this time, the gun was falling down to the ground. Then I was grabbing the gun, and then I was starting to hold it a bit. Then I was holding the gun to his forehead, feeling like I just had to say something to him. To try and get him to react to me, and to get me to know some information that could be able to bring me closer to this.

"What are you going to do? Try to kill me? Do you think that I am going to actually let you do this with no effort at all? I am going to ruin everything that you ever wanted." He said to me, and then after he was saying that to me, I was starting to pull the gun back, and then I was taking a deep breath. Then after a few more seconds of looking at him, he actually finally started to respond to us here, to give me an idea of what to do.

"Do you think that you are going to be brave enough to do it? Do you think that you can actually pull the trigger? Just because you had no choice?" Then after he had asked me this question, I fired it, and then the bullet went through his skull as he was falling down to the ground. Then I was looking at the gun, and put it in my other pocket, and then I ran inside my hotel room, and locked up, thinking that as long as I was in here, I could pretend like nothing happened.

When I was inside of the room, I opened up the bathroom door, and then I placed the magnum under my pillow. Then as I was looking at her, she wanting to find something to say to me. "What the heck is going on here?" After she was saying this to me, I was looking like I was wanting to find something to say to her that could be able to get her to understand what we were even doing now at this point.

"I have no idea what the heck I am going to do. All that I do know is that I am utterly fucked right now, and that I need to at least try and get something together here. I need to at least try and pretend like this is not happening. All that I do know is that we should probably leave tomorrow morning. Although I am starting to think that maybe turning that item back to those people might be more trouble than it is worth." I said, and then I was seeing her looking at me, slowly accepting what was happening.

"Do you have any clue on what it is going to be like now? You made something like an enemy, and you are going to try and pretend like nothing happened at all? I have no idea if that is a stupid idea or if it is a good idea." After she was saying that to me, I was then thinking that I had to try and make her feel so much better on what I was even going to do now.

"Well, I think that if this gets worse, I can use the box as a bargaining chip to save me." I said, and I was truly meaning it, and I had hoped she would buy into it. But her look on her face looked like she was feeling the opposite.

"I think that they will simply wipe you away if that gets to the case. If it gets to the point where it is saving the box or saving you, they will always pick the box. They don't care about you. Just do what you can to make sure you stay alive for the duration of this. Go back home, and pretend like this never happened." After the lady said that to me, I was thinking that she might be right on all of this, but I did not want to admit that she was. If she was saying this to me, and she was truly feeling like this, I just feeling like I needed to at least consider where she was coming from.

"I can't go back home. If I try to go back home, then my parents will be getting in danger. I just think that I can do the best that I have ahead of me in order to keep them safe. Their safety is literally the only thing that is keeping me together right now." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, I was feeling like when I had said that, everything was going to be coming together. I was seeing the girl actually looking like she was almost able to respect what I was saying here, considering the fact that she had felt like maybe I was at least doing my best.

"But what if something happens to you? Shouldn't you at least try to see that perspective? That is you were to try and see if they were going to be missing you or not. I think that when you see them next, this is going to be a really hard path for you to follow." After she said this to me, and was trying to see what I was going to be saying now. If I was going to be following her lead on this, and actually make her feel like I actually respect this now.

"If something happens to me, then I think that you should just go back home, and you should just tell my parents what is happening to me, and that is something that they will be able to surely understand, even if they hate this." I said, and then after I was saying this to her, she was looking like she was almost able to accept this for a while longer. But despite what I was saying, she was looking like there was something that was just bothering her about this whole thing.

"Hey, please, don't force me to do something like this for you. Please stay there and actually do this for yourself. At least try and find some answers to keep this together." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was sincerely hoping that I knew what I was going to be preparing myself for. But at the same time, she was thinking that I was just never going to fully understand the life that I was having here.

"I don't fucking know. I feel like I should be going out to doing more now. I feel fucking lost now. I think that when I come up with some ideas, they might be really hard to go with. They are going to hurt, because I know that there is something or someone who will always be hurt by what I am doing. Somebody who will always be hurt by the ideas that I have. And that is something that I wish that I could be able to work out, but I think that this might be impossible." I said, and then after I had said that, and was thinking about what was ahead of me, I knew what I had to do to get her to listen to me.

"I think that there is something that you will be listening to." I said, and then I was looking right at her, wanting to find something that she was going to really get in her fucking head for once. "Listen, I really care about your safety. I mean, I barley know you, but I know how young that you are, and I am really wishing that you and I can be able to agree on something. But I want to make sure that you are safe until you are home, and if that means that I have to get myself killed, then that is what I will have to do." I said that to her, and then I saw her looking like she was sort of accepting that statement, but that she was wanting to say something else now to make me get it.

"But do you think that you should be wanting to live? If you want to live, then I think that you just need to try and find something that makes this work." She was asking me, and I was thinking that this was a valid question, but that I had no fucking way to explain to her what I was even going to be heading out with. I was rubbing my eyes, just feeling like she was making this impossible. But mainly because I was unable to argue with her on this whole thing, even if I was wanting to.

"Listen, I do want to live, but you are younger than me. You are more in danger than me. You need to have somebody who can be a fucking man, a fucking hero, to protect you, and make sure that nothing happens. I think that this is the least that I can fucking do here." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she was looking like she was really glad to see that I was finally acting like this, opening up about the fears that I was having, and doing so in a natural light.

"I mean, my desire to live is nothing compared to my desire to make sure you are safe. I mean, that is shocking to even think about. I never thought I would care so much about what some random girl who I will probably never really get to know is doing, but I feel like I will have to do what is ahead of me to not falter at all." I said, and then after I was saying this to her, I was seeing her like this, I was just seeing her wanting to make me feel like I did not need to do this, but that was all that I could do.

"If you are really feeling that way, then I guess that maybe you are a good man. Maybe you really do care, and you might not really know how to show it besides how you have been right now. I think that maybe I need to give you more of a bit of leeway now, knowing what is going on with your mind." After she was saying this to me, I was seeing her kind of blush over how cute she was finding this reaction of me.

"I care more than I ever thought that I could. I mean, when I see all the craziness in the last day, and the fact that I just killed a man, I think that I need to have at least one thing that is keeping me having some form of a goal, and having some idea of how to be sane. I think that I have to try." I said, and then I was laying down on the bed, looking right at her. "I also know when it is best to just try and sleep for a bit, because I know that I am starting to become loosely aware of what is happening, and more unaware than it is worth." I said, and then I wondered what she would be saying to that statement.

"I guess that when you consider that there are like a million things going on here, I guess that I can sort of see what you are meaning. I guess that I just need to try and see it from your side. Which might be hard, but it is the very least that I can do considering the fact that we are going to team up for quite a while now." After she had said that to me, I was then seeing her starting to lay down on the ground, and then I was seeing that there was a couch there.

"I think that you should sleep there. I mean, I would not want you to sleep poorly." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was then seeing her just nodding, as if finding that she was kind of feeling stupid for not doing that earlier. But then after she was going there, I was seeing her looking like she was just wanting to speak more, but that she was just thinking that she was just never going to be making any real difference at all.

"But honestly, I just wish that there was something that I could do to finally bring this together. I think that I should show you to my family. Maybe if I do something like this, then you can start to see them for who they are, and they might actually really like you. My younger brother would probably love you." I said, and then I was thinking that I just needed to not be saying anything else now.

"Do you have any clue what is going on right now? I think that when I think about the life that you would live by being friends with my family, I think that something like this would be worth it." I said, and then I saw her looking like she was happy at me trying to reach out to her like this, even if it was not working out too well.

"I would really enjoy meeting your family. Thanks for offering that to me. I think that this is something that I really needed." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was finally glad to get to try and know me, since I was actually trying to reach out to her, and treat her like a normal person. I was then thinking about how something like this was going to have any damn chance of working out.

"Let's just see how it will work. I think we have to try and see what they would think of you. No point in not doing such a thing." After I had said that to her, she nodded, finally feeling like me reaching out to her was something that I was doing right. It was soft, but it was all that she had needed. All that she had really ever wanted. I was sighing, and then I just started to feel my eye lids getting heavier from all this debate.

"Okay, for real though, I need to head to sleep now. All of this debating is making me tired, and I think that staying up on this is only going to be making things even worse. I think that I need to let it go." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was feeling better for being able to just finally get this conversation to wind down, and then I was starting to close my eyes, with the feeling of glad ness that my box was under the pillow, safe from anybody who would have taken it.

Although I had no fucking idea what the hell I was going to be doing now. What the hell I was wanting to do. I felt like this whole journey was just going to be the one thing that was going to be a true sign of what I was like to be a person who did something right. I wanted to be that one person who did goo, not that one person who just rejected every sense of morality.

"Thanks for trying to take care of me. You really are a good guy. Never let anybody tell you otherwise." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was feeling like a girl who had opened up about so much more when she had said that. The fact that she was starting to act like we were going to be on our own here. I was feeling like I needed to try and say something else. "Do you think that we can hang out when this is done? That we could still be friends in a way?" After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wishing to be saying something else, but did not think that she could say it without sounding strange in her own way.

"I think that it is the least that I can do. Knowing what is ahead of me. I want to try and be a good person. Even if that means I have to change how I am am. I will be willing to do it for you and everybody else around me." I said, and then after I was saying this, I was starting to feel like my sleep was getting to me in a good way. That sleep was the one thing that I had totally missed out on, and that when it was totally missed out, I was just going to have more that I needed to go down here.

"You know, I just want to get something more out of this. I feel like there was something I could have earned from this journey, but that it is something that maybe I just did not know earlier. Maybe it is because of the fact that I have been earning some friends here, something that I never thought possible." I said, and then I was smiling, and laughed, saying one more thing here. "Plus the fact that I was able to actually learn how to fight in my own strange way."

I was feeling like this was something that actually made me feel better. Something that I was going to sort of tell myself was being done for the greater good. Which I did not know if it was something that could be done, but I was fucking over it. I was over the people who were against me, but I was thinking that I just had to find a way to help them all along. But then with the girl, and seeing her looking like there was a chance that I did something good, I knew that it was all worth it in the end.

One of these days, I was going to have a challenge, and a trial. I knew it. What I did not know was how ready I was going to be for such a thing. In a way, I was scared of that, and that was the one thing that I knew I needed to be careful over, and not fucking be lost on it all. I was going to keep her safe, and that was going to be my answer to the trial.

This trial was going to be the thing that would probably determine if I was a good person or not. But I did not have a damn clue what I was going to even do at all. I was just thinking about the fact that the life that I had been living was going to be rough from now on, but that despite that, it was with a purpose, and one of the greatest forms of purpose in the entire world.

I woke up the next day, ready to finally get going. I saw the girl laying down on the couch, and I was thinking of what it would be like to just leave her alone. To make sure that nothing happens to her, so me being gone was the one thing that really mattered more than anything else in the world.

As I was going to the door, I was shaking my head, with the box back in my pocket to, and then the gun in my pocket, and I was starting to feel like this battle was going to be all over with soon enough, and that when I was going to see those people again, I would just try and talk to them about the things that I have seen lately, and try to explain to them the fact that I did not appreciate what they were doing around me.

Right when I placed my hand on the handle, and I opened it to get out of here, that was when the girl was standing up and she was calling out to me. I did not know what the point of this was going to be, so I was just telling myself to at least pretend to be cordial about this whole thing. "Hey, I saw that you were heading out. I was wondering if you were going to need me to be at your side." After she had said that to me, I was putting my head down, and felt like I would have really enjoyed it if my plans had finally worked out the way that they were meant to for once in my own fucking life. Then I was looking right at her, unsure of what to say at this point.

"I was going to be leaving you. I think that you would be better without me at your side. I mean, I am not all that good of a person, and the less that you are with me, the better that you are probably going to be." I said, and then after I had said that to the girl, I saw her looking like she was kind of sad at the fact that she was trying to split up from me. "I think that you just need to keep yourself away from me, for your own sanity, and I am going to drop off that box, without having to worry about it all that much."

"But I know what I am talking about, and you don't. So I think that you should staying here for the time being." After she had said that to me, I was then looking down and away, thinking that I was going to just have to make my own choice on the matter, and if she did not like it, then she was just going to have to fucking accept my choice.

"I have already made y choice. I am dropping the package off, and even if you do not agree with me, I am going to be doing it. I have to do this, to finally go home and put this behind me." I said, and then after I had told her this, I was starting to head away, and I was thinking that if she was going to try and stop me from doing this, and try to get in the way of me finishing my contract, then I was going to have no hesitation to put a fucking bullet in her head, and leave her body to be picked up somewhere else, where I can finally just get the project done once and for all.

As I was getting to the door, I was seeing her running behind me and when I was at the front entrance to the hotel, she was tugging at my leg, and I was turning right at her, to try and say something to get her away. But then when I was looking down at her, and saw what she was looking like, I was almost finding myself unable to be too angry at her. I almost looked like she was really concerned about my condition now.

"What is it that you need? I mean, looking at you, clearly something is going on." I said, and then I was almost finding myself able to respect her, and able to see she was just wanting to make sure that nothing was to happen to me. "I mean, I am going to be dropping that off, but if there is something going on, I can see what I will be able to do to help you out." I was feeling like I was starting to be a small bit more responsible to this, and that maybe for the time being, I could keep her safe, until I knew what was happening in a way.

"I have given up on trying to convince you out of this. You made your point, and I can't act like you have not. But I just want to make sure that you are able to be aware of what you are doing. I want to see you safe." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking more like this was just something that she was genuinely meaning. Like she was really just accepting the fact that I was in charge of this, and that the more she fought this, the more she was going to just sort of disenchant me from the conversations that we were having.

"Alright, you can come. I will not fight this. Just make sure you don't try too hard to get me away from this whole thing. I just hope that we are going to be able to work together." I said, and then I was opening the door this time, and with our minds trying to sort of be in sync, I was feeling like were truly going to be able to put this to some form of common connection.

Once we were walking to the fucking tower where I was to drop this contract off, that was when the girl was starting to think of more that she was going to be able to say to me, without making me pissed at the way she was approaching me. "Hey, I am aware of the point that you had made, but I am just trying to understand something else. Once you drop this off, where do you think you are going to be going then? Do you think that you will be heading home, and just pretending like none of this ever happened?" After she had asked me this, I was then seeing her just trying to find something that can get me more and more open to this.

"I will just go home, and if they give me more contracts, I will just keep doing them over and over again until either I die, or they feel like they can be able to leave me alone. I don't know how long that will take, but I feel like that is going to be a good point to go for." I said and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing that maybe this was going to be the best that I can say now. Something that was going to her her to actually feel more open with me on most things.

"How many contracts do you even think that they are going to be giving you in the future?" After she had asked me this question, there was a small part of me that stopped to think about it because in all honesty, I was not sure, and in a way, I was not sure if I had wanted to know what their future for me was even going to be.

"I will just see what they have in store. I doubt that they will keep going forever. There must be a point they run out. There just has to be. There is no way that they are going to keep running me down forever, and that is going to be where I feel like I can start to be more and more free from this burden that I am at right now." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she was starting to nod a bit, and then I was sort of feeling like I could have more to be working with now, if I had just focused more.

Eventually we were at the tower that I was supposed to drop off the contract, and when I was there, I had seen a bunch of cars in the area. I was shocked when I had seen the tower, and the entire time that I saw it, I was more shocked at the police cars that were all over the place. "Hey, do you have any idea what is going on here?" After she had asked me that me this question, I was looking at her, as if thinking that she was thinking too much of me if she thought that I had known all of this in the first place.

"I don't even know what this place is anyways. I think that if you wanted me to know what was going on here, I would have had to stay here for much longer than like a fucking half hour yesterday." I said, and after I had said that to her, I was taking a deep breath, and then I was holding the box a bit, feeling like when I was going to try and give it back, the officers were going to try and take the item away from me, and I would have lost any chance of finishing this contract.

"Well, it looks like you are going to be having your wish for a while longer. I don't feel right turning that thing in with the police around. So I just need to go home, and be keeping this at my side for a while longer." I said, and then I saw the girl looking like she was actually almost glad to have the police at this place if this was going to be the way that I was treating the moment now. So with that, I was then just starting to head on back home, and the girl was right behind me, and she was at my side.

"Do you think that you are going to be coming back here at any point, or do you think that you might be done with this? I mean, you can always try and return tomorrow, and I was wondering if that was your plan or anything." After she had said that to me, I was then thinking about what she had just said to me, and then I was shrugging, thinking about the life that I was living now, and all of this confusion that I had going on.

"I should try to come back tomorrow. I will see how it works. I hope that they are willing me to take more than one day on the contract, since I want to get this over with. One way or another, I just want to be done with this shit." I said, and then I was slowly feeling like what my parents were going to be telling me was going to be brutal, and then when they were going to see me, I was having a life of misery ahead of me, and they were going to be making it very clear that they wanted me to really learn my lesson on this, and I would not even blame them for feeling that way, if that was the way that they were going to be feeling on the matter. I just wished that I was never placed in this issue in the first place, to make this a debate that would not even need to exist in any way shape or form.

...

When I had woken up that day, there was a small part of me that was just looking around the room for a bit, trying to find something to deal with what we were doing. Then I was just sighing, aware that this was a dream, and that none of this was happening. Which made me feel so much better, knowing that this whole fiasco was just not really happening in real life. That meant that I was going to be able to have a chance to just put this whole thing to rest.

I was then just placing on my shoes, having a feeling that even if I did not have to deal with anything related to what I was seeing in that dream, that there was something that I could be doing, and something that I just felt like would be going on that I would have to address. But I was going to be dealing with all of that when I was getting there myself.

Once I was out in the living room, my mother was looking right at me, and she was looking like she was wanting to say something to me to make me feel better. But she was also looking at me, and she was having that look on her face that was showing me that she knew that whatever was going on, she knew that I would have to deal with it. That I would need to fight this battle on my own, if it was really even a huge battle or anything at all.

"Hey Takuya, do you think that there is anything going on right now?" She asked quietly, and I was barely paying attention to her. I was wanting to get a cup of water, drink that, and just sort of taste the true feeling of something. I was feeling so fucking confused, knowing that this dream was so realistic, but then I was forced to deal with the reality that something like this was not really happening at all. It made me feel like I had just gotten something to help me feel like there was a good story to tell, but the story was just not there.

She just remained silent, and then went back to work on her own thing, thinking that I was just not really having anything all that important going on, and that she was just thinking that I was just dealing with something related to friends or something simple like that. She just felt like there was no need to get herself worried about something that was not all that big of a deal.

As I was finishing up my cup of water, and placing it down, I was hearing the phone ring. Since I was the one who was closer to the phone, I felt like I would just answer the phone, and if it was really all that big of a deal, I would be letting my mom know about it, and I would be forcing her to deal with whatever that was. But I was thinking that if it was just a generic call, then I could be able to deal with it on my own.

I answered the phone, and then I was waiting for a couple of seconds, wanting it to just tell me what the problem was, so that way I could be able to relay if it was something important or not to my mother. "You have been picked to follow a destiny." The phone said, and then I was just so confused at this statement, since it did not seem like a spam message, but the whole thing sounded off, so I figured that I would just continue to see what they were talking about, and then I would understand it all.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, and I was just waiting for a few seconds, and the phone did not talk for a bit and right as I was about to hang out, a voice continued to talk to me, and then I was forcing myself to not be pissed as they were telling me more of what was going to be my destiny.

"You have been chosen to go to the black train. Once you are there, you will see what your destiny is going to be. It is going to be the only chance that you have. You have until six in the afternoon to come here, and see what is going to be offered to you." After she had said that to me, I was then thinking about what she was going to be talking about, so I was just thinking about how I would even try to explain this to my mother.

"What if I don't want to do this?" I asked, and then I was feeling like I was already coming back to that dream again, and then I was wondering if there was a chance if this dream was actually real, and that thought was scaring me. The fact that there was something possibly valid to what they were talking about, and that I was just going to be coming off as a silly dumb ass if I was going to try and deny any of this happening.

"If you don't choose to do this, we will either find a way for you to come along anyways, or we will find somebody who will replace you on this." After she had said that to me, I was then waiting for another second or two, before the phone started to ring and go off. Then with that, I was placing the phone back to the wall that it was hanged on. I was then looking at my mother, and she was just looking like she was kind of confused at what the hell this conversation was, and wanted to see what I could be able to do to explain the whole thing.

"It was a strange phone call. I doubt that it really means anything. I would not be too worried about it." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she was looking like she was not fully buying this answer, and felt like I could have been able to tell her more. But then after I had said that, I was going right to my room, thinking that I would just be bored for a bit, and not be thinking much of it anymore, since I felt like it was just a odd call.

Once I was inside of my room, I was thinking about this idea that I might be passing up on if I had just stayed here and did nothing. I felt like maybe I should be going out and see what I could be able to find out the truth. I felt like the truth was going to be rather sad, and a huge let down, but at the same time, I felt like the worst that would come out of me checking was just being slightly let down, and that I just might as well give this whole thing a chance, and see if I could be able to handle it after all.

I thought that I might as well just give this a go, and then see what it was all worth anyways. So with that, I was then thinking that the black train was probably not even real, and that I just needed to give this whole thing a go. So when I was thinking about what I could do to make it all better, I was just thinking that there was some stupid outside force telling me not to do that, and that big stupid force was probably just looking at things from a realistic light. The fact that this was just insane, and anybody who said otherwise was just wrong.

I was getting out of my room, and then I was just walking along, feeling like when I was out of the house, I would just get this shit over with. My mother was looking a bit confused at this, but she was thinking that it might not really be her business, and she was thinking that maybe I was out just trying to hang out with some friends or something, and that I was going to be just fine. She probably thought that I had totally forgot about the phone call anyways, which I was feeling like would have been a valid assumption to make under any other case in the entire world.

As I was walking towards the area the trains in the town were at, I was sighing, thinking that I just needed to find a way to talk to these people who were telling me of destiny if they were to see how young I was, and they might be let down. I was thinking that they were going to be acting like they had the wrong person, and in all truth, they probably did have the wrong person.

But I was really thinking that it was rather odd that I had a dream about something like this happening, and then less than twenty minutes after I get up, something like this is happening. I mean, I was feeling like there was something that was connecting this whole thing, and that I needed to just find out what that thing was, and how I would be able to be ready to handle it in the future. I just felt so odd about this whole thing, knowing that almost nothing mattered anymore. Nothing made sense, and I was feeling like I was going to be all alone for the most part.

I was thinking that when I would finally learn the truth, I would just be able to put it all behind me, and then I would just be able to find my way through it all, and see what was even happening in this town. I was going to see why these people wanted to see me, and I was going to tell them that I was probably too young to go with a call of destiny. And then I would try to see if there are actually dreams that could be able to predict the future, and how much this would be able to make the whole thing make sense.

I was feeling like almost nothing I was ever going to do would even fucking matter though. I was going to be telling these people something, and then they were going to tell me that I was just sort of on my own with this. They were going to tell me that I had to do my fucking job, and that there was no point in resisting. Even though I knew that resisting was going to be the only thing that would make me feel like I would not be going crazy over what was happening.

I was wondering how my mother would feel if she knew the truth of what I was doing. She was going to be telling me that I was looking too deep into this whole thing, and she was going to be telling me that I just needed to get down to earth, and act like I was actually being realistic about what I was doing. I was telling myself that if she ever knew, she was just going to be acting like I had finally gone insane, and that I needed to stop and think about what exactly I had actually been saying before I would try to talk to her about this.

I thought that I would be able to get the people to see what I was meaning soon enough, and that they were going to know that I was just thinking about the simple little connections that were driving this forward, and she would be telling me that there was no connection, and then I was going to be all alone once again.

Eventually, I was getting near where the train station was, and as I was getting closer to it, a part of me was telling myself that I better not fuck this up, and that I better not be going gung ho and doing something that I knew was very likely to be a choice I would regret. One that I felt like had an extremely high chance of being a choice that was going to be leading me down a road of feeling like I had just fucked up beyond belief. And in a way, I was guessing that maybe these people were going to be right about the assertion that they would make her.

I was feeling like I was already in a losing battle by just coming here, and then I was starting to feel progressively more and more like I had made the dumbest choice of my life. Maybe not the worst, but easily the dumbest, and now I was going to be here, trying to make it look like I was not going to be going crazy over it. I honestly thought that I was going to be there, and then I would look around for something, and then I would learn that nothing was there. That I had thought something out of nothing, and that there was a good chance that I had been pranked form day one. But I knew that there was a small chance something could be real. With the fact that I had literally just had a call telling me of destiny when I had just had a dream basically telling me the exact same thing. I mean, I was never going to get that dream out of my mind over the sheer perfect timing of it.

Once I was near the station, I had been telling myself that I just needed to get over it, see what they were going to be showing me, and then I would be able to move on, and just finally get the answer to the question that had been on my mind for several minutes. And once I would finally get the answer one way or another, I would be able to start to move forward from this. I was going to tell my mom that I had a bad dream, and that I took it too seriously, and then we could laugh it off, and then we would just be able to act like I had nothing to be worried about at all.

Eventually I reached the elevator that I would have to take in order to get down to the train. As I was going inside of the elevator, I was hearing a strange voice. I did not know what I was going to be doing now. I was convinced that I had truly heard something this time. "This is the correct path you must take in order to get to your destiny." After the voice had said that to me, I was glad but also scared that I had known that I was on the correct path, and this was making me feel like I just needed to see what I could be able to do in order to get it over with.

I just got inside, and then I was thinking that I was going to be perfectly fine when I was going to be at the bottom, and perfectly fine when I was going to have the answer that I was slowly feeling like was more and more what I was going to accept that maybe something actually was going on, and that I needed to stop denying the reality and just accept the fact that no denial was ever going to change the fact that I was in a spot where I would have to fight for something called my destiny, and the sooner that I would fight it, the better that it was going to be. The fight for my destiny was the only thing that was going to be giving me some form of value to my life, once we were actually getting to the real business. And that was something that I had to just take the most that I could of. Knowing that I was finally having a purpose, and that the purpose was called a destiny. But that it was going to be good enough for now.

The elevator was starting to open up again when I was seeing that I was at the bottom. When I was at the bottom of the ride, I was just thinking that maybe I was going to find out what was going on here. I was walking down the path to the black train, and the more that I was getting to the train, I was feeling like maybe the train was all that I needed. Just stepping foot inside of that train was the only thing that I needed. Once I was inside that train, I was going to have the answers pretty much just given to me. I was thinking that this whole thing made perfect sense, and that I was just being silly this entire time.

When I was getting near the train, there was a noise that made me stop. This one was nothing like the one from before telling me about destiny. This one was much worse, and I had a feeling that maybe I was going to need to be taking this seriously. I stopped, and then I was looking around, and I was seeing that this area had a lot of dimly lit areas, and I felt like maybe I was inside of a area where my fate was going to be playing heavily in what I was going to be doing next. And that I had nothing to be able to defend myself if I were going to need such a thing. I was taking a deep breath, feeling like I was going to have to be ready for whatever was to be coming next.

I knew that no matter what was to happen, I would probably be on a journey that I never thought was going to be possible. I was then seeing there being a flashing light for a moment. This light scared the fuck out of me, and I was feeling like no matter what I was going to be seeing would get me killed. I was then thinking that such a thing would be stupid to even assume, and that I might as well just see what the issue was, and then see how I would be able to go along with such a thing, than to just stand here, and act like a idiot who had no idea what was going on at all.

I was walking down the path that I had seen the lights, and I was slowly telling myself that I was going to be calm about anything that I saw, no matter how much I was going to be feeling like I was going to be possibly getting myself in danger, over something that I virtually had no power over at all. I was thinking that this was going to be the first sign of the life I would have to be living. This was going to be the first step to the destiny that I had been told about, and the destiny that I was to live now.

Eventually, I was seeing that there was something of a shadow looking at me. Almost as if they were wanting to get me to come to them. I knew that it was going to be a bad idea. I knew that I was a idiot for even thinking about doing such a thing. But at the same time, I felt like I might as well just see what was going on, and I might as well just try to pull something together, for the sake of being able to be prepared for the life that I would be living now.

I was walking along, and I eventually found that this thing was not what I was going to be expecting it to be. I had thought that it was going to be a normal person, and that they were just here to make my life feel worse, and that they were here to scare me for some reason. But when I was looking at it, I was shocked to be seeing that I was looking at something much worse than that. Something that I was unsure would actually register in my mind.

I had a feeling that I had been looking at an actual monster. Something that I thought was impossible, and something that I only heard during stories. Something that would only be told to kids to make them shut up. That was what I thought they were, and when I was looking at them, I knew that they were something much more serious than that, and that these things were actually going to be in front of me, to only make things much worse for me if I stepped out of boundaries in any way.

As I had seen that, I was then sort of telling myself that I just had to do whatever the hell I could to make it seem like I was not going to be losing my composure when I was looking at it. I was feeling like if I started to freak out, and act like this was the worst thing that I had ever seen, even if it was, then the monster was going to use that as a chance to turn me into fried chicken or something, since they would have used that fear to bring my guard down. So I knew that no matter what, I was going to have to do my best to try and just hold my ground, and make it look like this was not getting to me at all.

I was then telling myself that I was just going to be worried over something that I could not have any power over. I was telling myself that this monster was wanting me to think that I had a choice with my feelings, and my emotions. But I knew that this was not the truth, and that was the only thing that I could be able to tell myself to think that I had a chance to make it all work out. So with that, I was just walking closer to it, trying to see if there was literally anything that I could be able to get out of it by getting closer to them and everything.

I was then seeing the monster holding up their arms, as if this was something that they were expecting me to do. I was then thinking that maybe I should have thought this out a bit more. But then the monster was starting to have something come right out of it. As I was seeing this, I was having a feeling that I was not going to be quite ready for this at all. I was then looking around the area, trying to just find something that I could be able to use to defend myself with.

But I decided not to even think about fighting for myself, and that I needed to think about something that was ore important. And that was simply just getting out of the way. So I was running along, and I was running to the side of the room, and I was hiding behind a small pillar thinking that if something were to happen, I would just use this to buy myself a second or two, and not fear that I was going to get myself killed. I was then taking long breaths feeling like if I would just not make any form of commotion, this was going to be the one thing that I would be able to use in my favor here.

There was a flashing red light that was right behind me, and when I had seen this flash, I closed my eyes for a second until I was hearing something like a cracking noise. When I had heard the cracking noise, I was then finally realizing that this was a utmost urgency moment, and I was getting up, feeling that fucking around was going to be the thing that would get me killed before I would even have a true chance to fight back. As I was running back, I was seeing that the monster had fired something at that pillar, and that if I had stayed there for another two seconds, the thing would have collapsed on me, and I would have died just from simply staying there for a bit.

When I was just thinking about how fucking insane this whole thing was, I was then just thinking that I would need to get the hell out of here. Destiny be damned, I was not going to be putting my life at risk because of some stupid fucking hope that I was going to be doing something that would matter in the long run or what not. I knew that this was finally showing me that I cared more about simply fucking living than anything else.

So with that, I was seeing the elevator to be getting the hell out of here, and I was just running right towards it. You know for a fact that I was only going to have even the faintest amount of feeling better once I was in there, and even then I was going to have to pretend like I still had to be safe, and just in case if it were to be getting worse. I did not want to make things any worse than it already was by just forcing anything onto these people.

The more that I was running, the less that I felt like I was going to be needing to worry about seeing the monster, and the less that I was going to be trying to connect anything with that dream of mine. And then everything was going to be totally fine. As I was feeling that way, I was wondering if my plans were really going to be actually making any difference in the long run.

I jumped right inside, and then I was seeing the thing starting to build up what I was thinking was a giant fire ball, and then they fired it right at the elevator door, and I was running back, scared out of my mind on the fact that this thing was going to be destroying any chance at safety that I would have. I was taking a deep breath, telling myself to be calm and to be collected, and to be thinking about the fact that this was almost over after all, and that surely I would be safe when I was out of here.

The elevator was starting to go up, and then I was starting to feel better slowly but surely with every second that passed, and I was feeling like I would be able to just act like perhaps I was going to not need to freak out anymore. That when I was done with fighting these monsters, I was going to be going home. Going home was something that I never thought would be making me feel better, but that was before I got my mind mixed up into something that I never thought could even be real back in the day.

Eventually, we were reaching the top, and then the door opened, and I ran very loosely for a few steps before I was feeling like I could be able to regain some of my composure. Then I took a deep breath, ready to get the hell out of there. And I was actually starting to think that I had a chance of getting away from this until I saw a different shadow several feet away. I knew what this shadow was going to be, and I was wondering why the hell this thing was just not going to be leaving me alone for an extended period of time, and why I was forced to be dealing with it at all.

I had no idea how I was going to be able to get out of this thing, and I was thinking that I was never going to get away from it unless if I managed to find a way to fight it off. I could not believe that I was considering the idea of fighting this damn thing. But I was having a fear that fighting was going to be needed to get this thing away from me, and that was the only reason that I was even accepting the fact that this might just be the only way.

I was thinking that if this was going to kill me, I would also rather go out like a hero than die like a coward. That being said, I was going to have to play one for a few more seconds. I knew that even if it could help me, I was not going to be getting these people in the streets involved in a mistake that I opened up. So with that, I went inside the elevator one final time, and this time not to get away from this thing, but to fight it.

That being said, the entire time that I was going down there, I was letting my emotions finally catch up to me, for better or for worse, and I was finally starting to feel like this was just a lot. So I screamed in terror for a second or two, probably to just let my mind let the fear out for a bit, to let it suddenly realize how fucking insane I was being. How fucking crazy this situation would have been to literally anybody in the entire universe.

Eventually, when the elevator was getting near the bottom, I was finally thinking about the fact that this whole situation was absolutely fucked, and that I needed to god damn stop and think about what I was actually doing. I was then just looking to see if the monster was even in the area. I was thinking that the entire time that this monster was going to be having a head start on me over something at all, the more that I was going to be throwing away my chance of being able to fight back. So with this, I was just thinking that I would not give it the moment to think that I was going to be letting my guard down. I was then walking out of the elevator, feeling like this was all I needed.

The more that I was in the area, the more that I was thinking that I could just be able to fight my way out of this. There was no way that this was going to get me killed. There was no way that I was going to die against something that was not even real. I was telling myself that this was not even real, and that when I would fight them, I was going to just tell myself that I was going to be having a superior standing compared to them. That I never had to deal with the fear of this thing again. They were not human, they were not meant to be going against us, and I was going to show them what it would be like to fight with one of us.

I was then telling myself that this was either going to be the best thing to do, or the worst thing to do to make myself feel better. I was then seeing the monster coming closer to me, and then I was thinking that as long as there were structures in here, I could be able to hide for a while, and just get the whole thing together, and then I would feel like I could be able to find my way through this. I was seeing the monster coming right at me, and then I ducked down when it was near me, and then I was seeing a rock on the ground that I felt like could be able to put at least some damage to this.

I threw the rock at the monster, and then I saw it not even move all that much. Any effect that I had made on this was pretty much gone, and I felt like perhaps I was going to have to try harder to get this thing to have any real damage that would be of value. I already knew then that this was going to be a long road to be travelling down, and then I was seeing that there was still the train that I could be able to go in. Despite the fact that I wanted nothing to do with going in there yet, I knew that I had to at least admit to myself that this was a option I could take.

I was then seeing the monster coming at me more and more, and then as the monster was coming towards me, I was then thinking about what I was going to have to do to get this thing away from me. To get this thing to step down, and to not attack me anymore. I did not know if such a thing was going to be done, but I knew that I needed to at least try and get the monster away from me, and destroyed, and preferably without going into the train soon.

Eventually, I was seeing the monster just a inch of so away from me, and then it was raising up a arm, and starting to get some fire ready or something like this. Then I kicked it right in the face, thinking that this was probably going to be the best that I would be able to do. I was then just standing up, and seeing the monster still ready to be getting closer and closer to me. With that, I found a medal rod that was on the ground, and I knew that I needed to take advantage of this as a weapon or some sort. Then I stabbed the monster right in the chest with it. I started to sink it in closer, and started to really try to add some damage to this thing before I was even going to be thinking of using that train as a valid method of escape. When I had impaled it the way that I had, I was then sighing, and I was going to be fine just going in there now. Even if the monster was not dead, I needed to just get it over with. I needed to run, and I needed to hide. Even if it made me a coward, it was going to be making me smart on this case. In this case, it was possibly going to be the only thing that could save my life, and that was all that I needed now.

Once I was running to the train, I got inside, and sat down on a seat, thinking about what I was doing here. Thinking about the life that I was going to be living now. The fact that I was going to be stuck in a area, just trying to not show my fear for something strange ever again, and having that in the way of my own personal life. I knew that it was just not going to truly be worth any of this. Any of the pain and suffering that I was forcing myself to be going on through. And I just felt like I needed to be thinking about what I was doing a bit better now.

I was just thinking about how much I was going to be missing the normal mundanity of life now. That was going to be something that would seem amazing when I would be comparing to the life that I was now going to be living from now on. I was thinking that I needed to think long and deep about what I was even wanting to really do. But at the same time, I was thinking that the worst that would be coming out of this was just the fact that I really had no idea what the hell was going to be happening if I did not keep myself contained.

I was hoping that my family was going to forgive me for this. Thinking that they were going to hate what I had done, and that was something that I was willing to accept. The fact that they were going to be framing me as a terrible person for just doing something that I thought was going to be getting me somewhere in my life for once. But at the same time, I was sort of wondering if this was even going to be worth any of the hype that I had been giving it now. In a way, I was feeling like it certainly was not.

Despite everything that was in my mind, I had felt like perhaps I was going to finally appreciate everything in my life now. Everything in my boring old life that was just not all that exciting, but was at least stable, was at least safe, and was at least constant, and I was thinking that in the end, this was going to be the better pay off than anything else. The fact that at least I could be able to say that I did stuff that was not going to be getting me possibly killed. I had no idea why I felt like adventure was more important when the idea of just simply being myself was more important than anything else.

I was shaking my head at the thought, and was finally feeling like I needed to at least think about the path that I was going down. I was thinking about the path that I would have been going down if I was a fucking idiot, which I guess was much more likely than I thought. I was thinking that maybe I needed to consider the idea that teenagers were just stupid idiots a little bit more before I would totally brush off that narrative in the future, as there might be some validity to that narrative now.

As I had been thinking that, I was just then rubbing the back of my face, thinking about one thing. Thinking about how my younger brother was going to be feeling about the high chance that I was not going to be around for his birthday. That was easily the biggest mistake that I had made in my entire time here, and that was the thing that I felt like was going to really make me almost like a fucking monster, and I hated myself for not being with him, when he needed, or at least wanted, it more than anything else in the whole wide world.

I was thinking about some of the times that we had together, and I was thinking about the fact that I was sitting things out now in this stupid train, just following a call that I was getting certain was either fake or not worth it, and thinking about what I was even going to do now. That being said, I was just thinking about what the hell I was actually going to do to keep my brother thinking that I did not mean anything by it. If I ever saw him again that was. And I was sure that I was going to truly have to fight in order to get to that spot in the first place.

As I was starting to beat myself up in my mind over something like this, I was thinking that I just needed to god damn relax, and think about what I was going to be doing now, and what this call was going to be, and how I would reject it if I was given one final chance to be able to, and how doing such a thing was the only thing that I could do in order to make it look like I was finally doing something that actually mattered. And I was thinking that maybe one of these days, I was going to be telling myself that I had made the right choice down the road. The right choice in keeping my family together.

I knew that now I was going to be the one who would ruin everything if this were to happen and get out of hand. That was the one thing that I was going to need to keep going from now on. The fact that I was the one who was going to actually need to fend for myself. The one who was going to have to stop and think about what he would add or take away from his choices, and think about how he was going to even go at this from a logical perspective.

In a way, I was realizing that this was too much weight for me to bear. I mean, it was not all that bad at first, until I started to break down every single aspect of this, and I realized how much of a fucking failure that I had been here, and I was thinking that if my parents wanted to yell at me or ground me or hate me, they would finally feel like they had every right in the world. I was pissed at the fact that I was finally admitting that something like this was true. But this was finally giving me some form of a clarity that I truly needed in my life from now on.

I was then thinking that since there was still some time before I would have to be going out and staying at this train, I would at least get out and get something to eat for a couple minutes. I did not really feel the need to stay at a place for too long, when there was nothing happening. So I got out of the fucking train, and then I was going right towards the elevator, thinking that there was no way that something was going to cause it to go away in the time that I was gone. And if it was gone, then I could be able to use that as a chance to just put this behind me and act like none of this ever happened.

As I was at the elevator, I was thinking that there was no way that my family was going to be pissed at me for just being gone for an hour or two. They were probably thinking that I was just out doing my own thing, and that they were going to be chill about it on the general whole. I felt like there was virtually no reason to believe that they were actually going to thinking that this was a huge problem at all.

As it was going up, I was placing my hand in my pocket, and felt that I had ten dollars in my pocket. I was thinking about what I would be able to get with ten dollars, and if what I would get would really need to actually get something much better than a supplemental meal, and that was something that I was feeling like I needed to just have the best out of it that I could be able to get, and then go down and just get it over with.

Eventually, I was around, and I was seeing the local McDonalds, and while it was not the best food in the world, there was no real reason for me to not go there, so I decided to basically say fuck it, and go there. As I was going to the McDonalds, I was thinking about the fact that my standards for things had greatly lowered, and that I was needing to treat myself to something fine when I was out of this, or even my parents house was going to be having a better set of options than this.

I was then going there, and when I went inside, I was then just thinking what I was going to get, and if it was going to be anything that I could actually want. So with that, I was looking at the menu, and thinking about what I would get. I was thinking that I was starving, and that I would probably get something like a super sized meal, since I was thinking that it would hold me over for a few hours, until the whole train moment was taken care of.

I went to the counter, ready for what I was going to get, and I placed in my order, which came to about seventy five cents, and then I went to the table, where I was going to be sitting at, and just waiting for the meal to get placed. As this was happening, I was seeing a man in black coming right in. As he was coming inside, I was seeing him looking around, and I looked down, thinking that I would just pretend that I had not seen him. I was scared of the fact that this was meaning that my dream was actually real.

I could only pretend for a couple of seconds, as the man saw me and started to come right towards my table. I was ready to just deny everything, and acting like I did not even know what was going on. I mean, I knew that something like this was probably not going to help. But I did not care. I was going to fight this as long as I could, and act like he was just being stupid.

Eventually, he sat down, and was looking right at me. "So, are you going to be going to that train?" After he had asked me this, I was then looking down, feeling like this was going to be the hardest answer of my life, and I knew that either way, I was going to be getting myself into a whole lot of trouble. I was then thinking about what I was wanting to do, and how that would go on and convert to what I was going to do.

"I don't really know if I want to go out there. I mean, the place was pretty scary. I almost died in there. I don't know if I want to go there." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing the man looking like he was wanting me to understand that perspective, and see if I would be able to adopt it going forward, for something that I was going to have to do.

"Listen, I know that you are probably thinking that this is not your destiny. That you are the wrong choice for this. And I think that you need to understand that you are not the wrong choice. You are the choice that we wanted from the start, because we think that you are the one who can try and make things different. You are the one who will be able to show the way to turning this around." After he had said that to me, I was looking at him, as if feeling like this guy was fucking crazy. But despite that thought, there was a small part of me that was feeling like perhaps he was telling the truth, and that I was just going to have to try and learn how to adapt from this more than anything else.

"Does it even matter what I may be thinking of my destiny? I have a feeling that I am going to not be able to get you to change your mind. That I am already set on this whole thing, and that I am just going to have to accept what is going to be given to me." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing looking like he was just going to let me deny my fate for a while longer, and pretend like he was able to see where I was coming from, and feel bad for me.

"It does matter. Because you may be thinking that this is a job that you should not be having. But there is nothing that you can do about it. You are to do this, and you are supposed to just accept the fact that this is your life. We have given you this job, and you are going to have to just find your way through it all." After he had said that to me, I was then just seeing the food that I ordered coming towards me, and I thanked her, and then she walked off as I was just trying to find something to say to him.

"Please, I think that this is going to be getting me killed. I just don't really know if I am going to be ready for this whole thing." I said, and then after I had told him this, I was seeing the guy just wanting to find something else to say, and then he was just remaining totally fine with me, but he knew that he needed to find something to say to me for me to finally get this statement.

"There is nothing wrong with at least trying. If you try and you fail, that is one thing, but there is nothing wrong with just giving it a go. I think that you need to at least be honest with this." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to finally see how I was going to react to this. I was thinking about the fact that this guy was wanting something else from me, but I was sort of lost at what I was even fucking feeling now.

"I don't think that I am going to like this. I think that this is going to be one of the worst choices of my entire life." I had said, and as I was looking right at the guy, I was wanting to see what he would want to say now. I was starting to eat the meal, before I was feeling like I was going to be ready for a answer that I would hate.

"Fine, I will give it one single chance. I will see how I will be able to handle and adapt to this whole thing. I do not think that I am going to be ready for this. But I feel like you are going to be forcing me to at least give it a go, and that is what I am going to exactly do." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking right at me for a while before he was just thinking that this was the best answer that he was going to get, and that the less he would argue with me on this, the better that it would be.

"Alright, thanks for making the right choice. You will know deep down inside why we are choosing you when the time comes. You might not be ready to see it yet, but when the time comes, and you are presented with all the facts, you are going to see why I feel this way. You are going to see why it was fate that had decided to give you a chance to do something that mattered." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to see what I was going to be saying to this now. But I was thinking that there was nothing to say.

"I will go there after I am done eating this." After I had said that to him, I was seeing the man looking like he had finally fulfilled his purpose, and then he was standing up, and looking right at me, as if finally feeling like he was ready to be leaving me alone, and that he was not needing to press me anymore. But I was feeling like I just needed to get this over with, and not be lying to myself anymore. This was what I was needing to do. This was my destiny, and that was something that just needed to finally accept once and for once.

As he was out of the area, I finished my meal in about ten minutes, and then I decided that I was not going to be buying any more time, and that I needed to just get this over with, and then I was putting the trash inside of the trash bin, and then I was starting to head on out. I was thinking that when I would get this over with, I would finally get to the train, and then I would let everything come together once and for all.

When I was heading the elevator, I was feeling like everything was going to make some sense. I was feeling like like whatever was going to be down there was going to have to be worth it, and that I better not be getting myself into something that I was going to regret, since I was almost certain that no matter what was going to happen, I was going to regret this whole thing way too much. I was going to hate everything that I had done, and that was going to be the only thing keeping me going. The promise that I had made to myself that I would save myself and be with my family and my friends once again.

Once I was inside of the train, I was wondering what the nest road to my life here was going to be. I was thinking that staying here and not doing anything was going to be a really rough spot, since I had a feeling that more of these monsters were going to be coming towards me. I felt like the monsters were more scary than anything that I had seen, even more so than having to deal with some greedy business in a dream world that I had nothing to do about.

I was looking up, and I was seeing that there was a clock. The clock counted down and before I knew it, we were already at the time the train was supposed to be taking off. I took a deep breath, glad that we were at least going to be getting ourselves away from the fucking station and I would not have to deal with the monsters. Yes. I know that I swear a lot, but it is just my way of generally speaking. I can't really help but do it. I think that after a while, you will probably get used to it.

As the train was starting to head out there was a thing that was making me feel more and more unsure of what I was going to be doing now. I felt like there was something about this that just seemed wrong. I mean, I had no way to describe the way that I was feeling besides just that. I was seeing that the train stopped for a couple of seconds after about half a minute or so of the train riding. As I was seeing this, I was looking back to see what the general problem really was.

I was mostly like this because I did not want to waste another fucking second in this place, and I was thinking that with every moment that I was going to be here, more of these monsters were going to show up. But as I was watching, I saw something else that confused me more than scared me. I was seeing some people coming down towards the train. Seeing this made me feel like I was going to have to prepare myself for whatever was going to happen.

I observed for another several seconds, and I was seeing the man that I encountered earlier, and I knew that this was going to be the approval that he was going to be giving me. Glad that I went through with what I had said. I was then looking down, thinking about what I had been setting myself up for. Then with that, when the guy saw me and gave me the go, that was when the train was starting to head out. That had been the moment I realized life was going to be sucking ass for the next long while, and it was all because of this guy who had been deciding to send me across some random area for no good reason. Besides something really fucking vague like it being my destiny.

Then I was sort of laying down on the seat of the train, thinking about what I had been preparing for, and I was wondering if my parents would even notice at first what I was doing. If it would take a few hours to notice that I was out later than normal. Or if they were going to be just thinking that I knew what I was doing, and not be all that worried about what I was actually doing. But then again, I was thinking that maybe they were going to be better off without me. With one less child to worry about, they were going to be able to focus their full attention on the one that would still be there.

I was angry at this whole thing, because I knew that there was going to be a good chance that these people never would see me again. I knew that the people who had raised me in their family was probably not even going to care about me being out of town for a couple of hours, or a day or two. That was what I had convinced myself at least, and only when I would think back on it, as I was older and such, how silly I was sounding when I had been making this assumption.

I was also thinking about what was even going to be happening at this point. Because I felt like when I was going to be seeing what was there, I would learn that there were more monsters or something. Which until an hour or two ago, I was feeling like there was no chance of those even existing, and then here we are, dealing with them on a regular basis, and there was nothing that I could be able to do about it. There was nothing that I was going to be able to say to make the situation seem like it was going to be lighting up at all.

As I had started to make myself be more ready for such a thing, I was thinking most about how I would even defend myself here. If that was even the most important thing that I could do right now. I knew that fighting monsters was going to be the one thing that school never prepared anybody for, and now that was going to be the one thing that would have been good about going to school, if I had actually been able to learn anything on the issue.

I was then almost finding such a thing to be funny. I was stuck here, all alone, going to be fighting things that until a hour or two ago I thought was fantasy, and now here I was, trying to pretend like all of this shit was actually not all that strange. I mean, this whole thing was just bonkers, and I think that anybody in this situation of mine would have been able to say that too, and anybody who would not have would have been the one who was bonkers, in a twist of fate.

Despite that, I was thinking about how this was going to be fun to try out. I was thinking about how this was going to be at least a fun little story to tell people that I knew when it was done. But I did not know if anything like that was going to be possible. I was thinking that it was not going to be possible at all. I was thinking about what I would tell people if they knew what I was going through, and what I would even be able to say to get them to understand that this is not a lie, and that even if I was wanting to come up with something, I would not be able to do so, since in truth, I knew that I had no fucking imagination.

The more that I thought about what I would tell people if they learned of this, the more that it was sounding like I would be coming off as insane to anybody. I was thinking that maybe it was going to be worth it. Getting the story out and really showing people the truth was going to be the thing that I needed to focus on. I was thinking that when the truth of the matter would come out, then I was going to be the most feared person in the town. Because I would have done something that nobody was probably thinking possible. And that would be to fight monsters, and actually survive the matter. I was thinking that doing such a thing was the only thing that would be able to actually give me validity on the whole matter. I was thinking that maybe I needed to finally just think about things on my own like that. I needed to think about how I could survive on my own right.

The more time that passed, the more I was almost thinking about how this was going to be a chance to finally do something for myself. In a strange way, I was thinking that this was all that I could have ever been able to shoot for, and all that would have mattered on my own.

I almost actually believed in a way, I was caring about myself. I was almost thinking that I could be able to find a way to bring some value to this life that I had been living, and that was something that I knew I could be proud of. The fact that I was finally doing something that was meaning more to me than anything else in the world. But I did not know how long this was going to last, and that was the thing that was making me feel like there was still much more that I needed to do if I were to actually make a difference in the long run.

Eventually, the train was getting near its parking, and I was watching as time progressed, and I was seeing as the train was going from being inside of the station, to leaving the station, and opening up to a city, and then it passed through another barrier, and then it started to open up into something that I never thought was even possible. I was thinking that when I was seeing the train go into literally what was looking like a different dimension, a part of me was refusing to believe it. I was thinking that it was just impossible to be seeing what I had seen. But I was reminding myself that just an hour ago, monsters weren't real. And that maybe there was something to this place that was real, and that I just needed to accept that reality as fast as possible.

As the train was eventually getting where the parking spot was going to be, I was telling myself that no matter what, I was just going to have to get myself ready for the path ahead of me. I was wanting to return home, and I was going to do anything to make sure that I was going to be doing just this, no matter what it was going to take in order to pull it all off. I knew that I wanted to at least try, and that even if I was not going to make it, I truly wanted to go down fighting.

I knew that no matter what I was going to do, I was having to accept the fact that I would not even have help. That is the thing that I had hated the most about this. Knowing that I was not going to have anybody at my side, so if I were in danger, or needed to escape, there was going to be nothing that was going to help me out. I was going to just have to fight this on my own, which was going to be fucking insane.

I had no idea what any of my choices were going to mean in the end. And to be honest, I was sort of just telling myself that I could not even care anymore. I was going to have to accept the fact that I was a fucking loner, and that being a loner was the one thing that was certain about this journey. That I was a loner and that I was in some seriously strange shit. I had to accept that when I would fight these monsters, I was going to need to find a way to get a sign to go back to where my town was. I thought that maybe this was the first priority that I could be having here.

I was thinking that the life that I was living was going to be utterly fucked if I was not prepared for any of this. I was thinking that maybe that feeling was going to be utterly true for the life that I was now facing here. I was getting out of the, and when I had looked around, I was seeing that there was a giant fucking set of destroyed material all around me. I mean, I had no idea what the hell it all was. But there was one thing that I did know, and that this place had gone through hell and back. And that looking at it, I was feeling almost to myself that I needed to at least try and see what was happening here.

When I was telling myself that I needed to try and see what was happening here, I was thinking that this was the first step that I needed to take. I was thinking that the search would give me some first clues if for nothing else, and that this was going to be a good motivator to be using in order to actually get something going now. I was also feeling like when I was here, I would also be able to find a weapon that could be able to give me some chance to actually survive and fight here. I felt like fighting was the first thing I needed to focus on, since without something to use, I was going to die before I had a chance.

So with that, I was walking down a small path way to what I was feeling like when I looked around was the original station. I felt like when I was here, I was going to find something. There must have been a reason to send me here of all places first, and why this was the train station that I had arrived at. I knew that something must truly have been going on. I did not know what this was going to be, and quite frankly, that fear was sort of getting to me just a bit more than I would have thought.

The more that I was looking around the area, the less and less certain that I was getting with this feeling, and the more certain that I had felt with the whole idea that this was honestly my call to destiny. To make sure that this place can heal, and that it can go back to some form of working order. I did not know how something like this can happen, and I did not care. All that I did know was that I needed to try. I needed to try and see how this was actually going to come together. To see if maybe there was a method to all the madness. I felt like such a thing was going to be hard, but I felt like it was also going to be worth a damn try at least.

Before I could be able to think about this too much longer, there was a voice that was calling out to me. That voice scared the shit out of me, and when I had heard that, I was turning around, and I was seeing that the thing was another one of these monsters. Although for some reason, this one seemed a lot less violent. This one seemed a lot less wanting to kill me. And when I had seen that, I knew that no matter what I was doing, I would have to find a way to get out of this with some form of dignity that made it look like I was not scared out of my fucking mind over a fucking monster that was probably only like two feet tall.

"Young man, we never thought that you were going to be coming here. We thought that we were going to be alone. Your presence here will bring us safety and peace." After the monster had said that to me, I was looking at them, and for some reason, when I was seeing the look on their face, and they were looking like they wanted me to get it, the more that I looked at it, the more that I realized they were right. That maybe I did need to learn something from them.

"Well, before I can be able to bring you anything, I think that you need to bring me some things yourself. Like some answers on what the hell is happening here." I said, and then I was looking right down on the monster, thinking that if I was calm and collected on this whole thing, I would be able to get the monster to give me some good information. I just needed them to be able to talk with me, and not to be brushing me off here. But despite what I was feeling right now, I was just thinking that the one thing that I did not need right now was to piss this thing off.

"Yes that makes sense, this whole thing might be seeming a bit rough right now." After the monster told me this, I was then looking around, just trying to find a sense of what to be saying now. "Sit down, and we will tell you everything that you need to know, and we can be able to start our work this way." After the monster said that to me, I was sighing, nodding, and sat down on a bench, where I was staring at the monster.

"Okay, where do you start?" I asked, and then I was seeing the monster looking like maybe there was not a very good starting place. They placed their hand on their mouth, as if almost thinking about the proper way to explain to me how this was actually happening, and do so in a way that I would be able to reasonably comprehend. Since they felt like my comprehension was the most important matter to the whole situation. And without that, I would have nothing to be working with at all.

"Well, I will start the story by letting you know that this mess only happened in the last few days, so we are not exactly sure what is going on either. But I think that I have a decent theory to what this whole thing is. The story starts when I was going along, and I saw a giant digimon flying in the sky. That is what we are called. This is a short for the term digital monsters." The digimon said, and then after they were telling me this, I was wondering how any of this was going to be tying to the main point at mind.

"The digimon was starting to shoot down fire balls all over the place, destroying everything in the matter of just a couple of minutes. I could not believe what I was seeing, and I knew that there was no way that I was going to be able to have any chance to make this whole thing work out. I was hiding as well as I could, and for one of the very few times in my life was glad over my smaller size since doing this could give me a chance to hide better, and not be seen by anything passing by, which would increase my chances of not ever getting caught." After the digimon was saying this, the look on their face was showing one of utter worry. One that showed they were not sure if I would believe in them or not. I knew that this was hard to understand, but after everything, I would be a fucking idiot if I acted like there was no chance to this being true.

"When that happened, there was no feeling of safety. No feeling of comfort. I was feeling like we were all on the verge of dying and that I could not do a damn thing about it. I did not know how to feel, and that feeling was the worst feeling in my entire life. All that I did know was that I was wanting to find a way to replace this, and it seems like you are here." After the digimon said that to me, I was seeing them looking like they wanted to see how I was going to react to this whole thing.

"I mean, I think you can see how this might sound pretty crazy. I have no fighting skills, I can't lead anything, and I am just learning for the first time that there are these things called digimon, and whatever you guys are, you are, that you are real, and that is all that I can be able to say that I have been able to learn from this." I said, and then I was just looking right down at the digimon, hoping that they were going to be nice enough to see where I was coming from here.

"It does sound crazy, and I would be reacting the same way if the rolls were reversed. I get it. But I think that you can see from everything that is going on here, that I am not lying to you. That is the lats thing that any of us need. Is for there to be lies spreading around, and just making things even worse for us all. But please, I think even you are able to see that there is a destiny that you have. The fact that you are here right now, when there is nothing that could have led you here otherwise. The fact that you are the one who was constantly given a call to destiny. I think surely you understand that I am telling the truth." After he had said that to me, I saw him looking like he was wanting to say more, but that he was clearly thinking he had said all he needed to say to get his point made here.

I was sighing, thinking about how even if I hated to admit it, that there was some truth to this. That there was a good point being brought up, and that was the thing that killed me. The fact that I knew no matter how hard this was to accept, the stages were getting easier, knowing that there was just too many clues to this puzzle that came in even if I hated that.

"Alright, I think you are starting to make your point. I may not like it, but I have a hard time denying the truth to what you are saying. But if this is happening, then I need a way to fight through this, and I think that you are going to be providing me the answers I need to know how to make this work." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing them looking like they were aware of what I was telling them right now.

"Well, I think that as hard as it may sound, as much as you might not like it, I think you need to start a long journey. One that will slowly take you across the entire digital world, as you slowly try to repair it, and you can be able to bring things together, as you are going to make everything that was lost not feel so lost anymore. I think that perhaps you are going to make the most of this out of anybody. Once you start to get to repair this place, your purpose and destiny will slowly get more fulfilled, and eventually you will be able to return home. You help us and we help you that way." After the digimon said this, I was looking down, trying to find something else to say, but felt no desire to say much at all, since I hated this whole thing.

"What is your name? If you are going to be travelling with me, I think that I need to know who is going to be tagging along with me this whole way through." I said, and I was not sure if it was going to be the whole way, but I sure as hell did not want them to think that I was not going to be trying to work with them, and I wanted to make it clear that I was going to, no matter what I would have to say to get there.

"My name is Bokomon. I am a digimon who has been studying the things going on in this digital world for several years now, and I think that you will find my advice quite helpful on certain situations. I need to know what your name is though, so that way I could be able to have a sense of who I am working with." After they finished saying that, I figured that I would just need to do now. I was thinking that after I would tell them my name, we would need to get right to work, and not waste any of our fucking times.

"My name is Takuya Kanbara. I think you just can call me Takuya though." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then thinking that there was no real need to say anything else. I was thinking that maybe if I was going to actually try and accomplish anything, I was going to need to get going, and if this digimon wanted to come with me, then that was fine, but for now I needed to find a way out of here.

We were walking out of the lonely station that I was in, I felt like being here was just going to be wasting our time, and I did not want to waste any time on this. I was going to just do the job that I had needed to do, and I was going to get it done as competently as I could, and just figure out how this would even make any sense. I was wanting to fight on my own, but I knew for a fucking fact that if I did not take Bokomon's words, I was going to be dying in a matter of hours, and then there was going to be no way that any of us was going to win at all. Without Bokomon, there was no chance. With Bokomon, there was a small chance that I could possibly pull this off.

As I was thinking about that a bit, and thinking about the life that I was going to be living now, I was then thinking of what I could be able to say to Bokomon to make them get that I was going to be following their plans here. "Hey, thanks for giving me a chance at least. I mean, I don't get it at all, but I think that the fact you are willing to let me try is very special. That is going to sort of make me feel like I have something to do now." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing Bokomon glad that I was reaching out to them in a way.

"I mean, I think that if you really want me to be this child of destiny though, then there is a lot of work that we are going to have to put in. I think that we are both going to have to try our best to keep each other safe." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was looking right down at them, trying to find something to say to me. But they were looking like there was nothing that they needed to say, and that they were just going to take what they could with my statement.

"I don't know if we want this to be the case, but we do know that we need this to be the case. The need is much greater than anything that we might be wanting." After Bokomon had told me this, they were clearly wanting to say something else to me, to make me feel better. But for the time being, they had virtually nothing that they were going to say that could make me feel any better on the matter.

"Where do you think is going to be a good starting place to look?" I asked, feeling like if I was going to be getting some work done on this, I would need to just do my best to make it look like I was not too over whelmed by everything that was going on here. I was thinking that maybe when I was going to be cordial with them, then they were going to finally accept the fact that I was onto something here.

"I think that I saw a small house in a giant open lot of land. I think that maybe when you go there, then you can be able to find something to talk about them with. You can probably be able to get them to talk with you on things that are going to help us along." After Bokomon had said that to me, I was then feeling like I just had to accept this right now. I was going to find a way to get there, and then I would just talk with any digimon that was there, and maybe they would have a good starting point to be going off of there. And as we were walking along, that was when there was something that called out to us, and I was unsure of what we were going to be dealing with, but I knew that brushing it off was not going to be helping anybody else out, and not even helping me out. So I was turning around, to see what this thing was.

"Mesa want to help you." After they told me this, I was looking down at the tall yellow creature, with red pants and I was confused at what this thing was. Not that I knew what Bokomon was either, but I had given up on that a while ago. This was something that I felt like maybe if I tried hard enough, I could learn the answer, but at the same time, I did not really know if I cared all that much on learning the truth here.

"What are you exactly?" I asked, feeling like as long as I would just not be making a deal out of this, I could be able to finally learn how to get a starting point here. I was thinking that as long as I was keeping myself composed, maybe the digimon would just talk with me a bit, and then finally let me along and we could be able to get this whole thing over with.

"Mesa called Neemon. Mesa watched yousa as yousa had left the trains station." After Neemon had said that to me, I was then wondering what their style of speaking was. I mean, it was funny in the way that it made no sense, but at the same time, I was just unsure of why they were needing to speak this way when any other normal talk would have been able to suffice just fine.

"Well, you don't need to worry about coming along with me. I do not plan to stay here for a super long time. I plan on getting this shit over with as fast as possible. I mean, I don't know how much I can get done on my own, but I feel like I might as well try since I would rather just see how I could be able to go home." I said, and I was not even going to hide that this was the only reason I was really doing this. I mean, I needed some reason, and even if it was selfish, it was at least a valid one that I felt like Neemon would have been able to understand as well.

"But Mesa want to help yousa out." After Neemon said that, I was trying my best to hide how annoyed I was, but then Bokomon decided to chime in, and when they had chimed in, I was then starting to calm down a bit, thinking that the point they would mention might have been a valid one.

"You don't know what you are doing. I think that if you have this thing at your side, then you might be able to have something that can hep you defend yourself on certain moments. I think that there is nothing wrong with this idea for now." After he had said that to me, I was then sighing, thinking that they were going to have some form of a valid point, and that I might as well just see how such a thing was going to go, and I did not want to make any issue on this.

"Alright, you can come. But only because what Bokomon says is a good point, and I might need everything that I can get." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was seeing Neemon looking like they were so glad to see that I was going to be giving them a chance, and I was unsure of how glad I was going to be on this matter either. I felt like I just needed to try and see what I could do to make it all work. "I don't know if I will be taking anything else along though. I think that this will be the most that I can handle." I finally finished, feeling like this was going to the most firm that I could be on the matter, and if they did not get it then, well I was not going to make a fight on it anymore because even I knew how pointless it would be.

So with that, we were getting closer to the village, or I guess the remains of the village, that Bokomon had told me of, and I was going to just see what I could be able to do to make things work there, since I was feeling like if I wasted anybodys time here, then they were going to be angry at me, and I did not want to be creating any issues with that. I was scared that I was already going to piss them off when I was alone. Much less with a small crew at my side.

I was seeing the yellow building that Bokomon had told me off, and I realized that it was probably only like a twenty minute or so walk away from here. I was shaking my head, and I was thinking that maybe I would just go there, and talk to them, and try to get some form of diplomacy across. Try to get them to see that I was going to be making things all fine with this. I was going to talk to these digimon, and they were going to give me the information that I needed, and I did not care if they were going to like to or not. This was what I had needed to do, and that was all that there was going to be to the whole debate. So with that, I was starting to walk on my way there.

We walked to the house, and I was thinking that perhaps when I would talk to the digimon, they were actually going to be in the mood to let me help them. They were actually going to know how to accept some help when it was needed, and they were not going to brush me off because they were some stupid prep or something like that. I was thinking about the fact that they were going to just be more surprised than anything to see me around the area anyways.

I knocked on the door, feeling like if this digimon was not going to be working with me, then things were going to be made even worse, and then everything that I had hoped I could be able to handle was going to be thrown away, in just a matter of an hour or two. Just because I started to get over confident about something that in all honesty I should never have in the first place.

When the door was answered, I was seeing a middle height digimon, probably about three inches shorter than me or something. When I had seen that for a bit, I was shocked and then was telling myself that maybe digimon were probably more like humans than I had wished to actually admit. But that being said, I was feeling like I could just try to find something to accomplish here by just trying to speak to them more and stuff.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were going to be able to help me out here?" I asked, and then after I was asking the digimon this question, they were looking right at me, as if unsure of how to be feeling about the fact that I was actually trying to be reaching out to these things in the first place, regardless of the reasoning that had been coming along to this. I was seeing that the digimon was looking unsure of how to believe, but at the same time, I was thinking that maybe I should not be wasting my time here.

"I did not know that humans were even on this world to begin with." The digimon said, almost finally feeling like this was going to be the best way to talk to me. As they had said that, I was sighing, thinking about the fact that this was a comment that I was going to be more or less used to, as much as I hated to admit it. But I did not want to say anything snide or anything, and just try to find something that would make them feel better.

"Well, the thing is that I never even knew of this place before. But I was recently told that I am supposed to try and save your world from something that is going on here. I don't quite get it, but I guess that something like this does not really matter. I just want to see what I could do to make things seem like they were not so bad for you. And the chance to being able to return home is always a plus." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was unsure of what they were actually going to try and say to me at this statement.

"I guess that there would be no reason for a human like you to show up randomly with no real reason to it. But thanks for trying to reach out to us, and trying to make things better. I just think that if I were to explain some things to you, then we would be stuck here for a while. So I will only explain a few things that I feel like actually matter." The digimon said, and then I was nodding, feeling like every detail was going to be important, so they did not need to worry about anything like that quite yet.

"I don't know what that digimon that attacked us was, but I think that I might have a vague idea on what this digimon was from some of the legends that I had heard. When I was a younger child, and I was hearing some great stories about this digimon was as a fable, they were just able to really drag me in right away." The digimon told me, and I was just telling myself not to be telling them to get done with it, since I felt like they were just going to be wasting my time like this.

"This was about the legend of Cherubimon. The digimon was kept away in a secret urn, to keep it away from the general public, as this was a digimon that had a power of great evil, and would be able to destroy anything that was around them. This is a digimon that is pretty much considered to be able to wipe all life away, aside from small pockets of it, and that these digimon could be able to start to rebuild the world and make a better one. I have no idea if this was the Cherubimon that I have heard all the stories about, but the way that they destroyed almost everything in the entire digital world with little to no effort makes me feel like something like this could be possible." The digimon was saying to me, and I was thinking about how much this whole thing was just sort of bothering me a bit.

"Well, I think that maybe this is a good story to start off with. I think that this is a theory that I could go off of for now. I mean, until proven otherwise, there is no real reason to worry about that too much." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing the digimon looking like they were unsure if Bokomon, Neemon, and I were really going to be able to make any difference. I did not blame them for feeling this whole thing, thinking that two digimon and one human would make any real difference.

"What do you think you are able to do to help us out? I mean, there are barely any digimon around now. Just enough to start to repopulate the world, and even with that, we would have to find a way to all meet each other, and make something like that work." After the digimon had said that to me, I was then thinking about what I would even say. I mean, I was not going to lie to them, but I had no idea what I was going to even say, and if I was going to be lying or telling the truth.

"I think that I was told that I have to actually rebuild it. And that I can salvage it. I mean, I have no idea how I can do that. I don't know if there is a way to save these digimon or not. But I feel like there must be a chance that I can be able to make something like this work out. I just feel like I need to try at least." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, I saw them looking a bit lost on this. As if feeling like maybe I was sort of setting myself up for something that was just not even going to be coming close to working out at all.

"Well, if you can be bale to do something like that, bringing the digimon back, then you would be a true hero that I think the entire digital world would worship forever." After the digimon was telling me this, I was thinking about how something like this could be great, but I did not know how I was going to actually feel on this whole thing.

"I just need to find something to start with. I need a good starting point, and maybe if I can do something like this, I could bale able to help out with making this whole situation seem less over the top." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was then looking at Bokomon and Neemon, who were both looking like they were glad that I was at least taking the situation seriously. That at the very least, I was not just taking this situation for granted or anything like that.

"Alright, if you want to stick around for a while longer, I might be able to give you some things, and we can be able to see if that will get you on your way." After the digimon was saying this to me, I nodded, feeling like this was going to be a good way to get something to help me out. I was thinking that when I was going to be inside of the house, I was wondering what the hell the digimon was going to give me. Despite my uncertainty, I was feeling like I would be able to have something to work with, and that this digimon would help me save the world in a way.

When I was inside of the house, I was looking at Bokomon and Neemon. I was seeing them both looking like they were just as uncertain but hopeful as I had been, and that was something that was giving me a wide range of emotions, and that was something that I would just try to keep myself working with.

The digimon that had led me inside of the house was looking right at me, trying to find something to say to me, to get me to open up and try to speak with them. "So I have no idea how much my stuff will be able to help you out, but I think that I should at least try to be giving you some things that will be able to help you along the way." After the digimon had said that to me, I was thinking about how strange this whole thing was, but at the same time, I was thinking that it was best that I still at least had something to go off of with my way of being able to fight now.

"What do you think that you can be able to give me here?" I asked, and I was thinking that maybe I should be fine with asking a simple question like this, and that I could be able to really have an idea of what the hell I would even use that could actually help me. The digimon was hanging around for a bit, and was pulling something out of a chest that they had. I was confused when I had seen this, but I decided not to be saying anything about it here.

"Well, I am not very sure if it will be able to help you out much, but I can't let you go around doing stuff, and just be fine with not helping you out at all. I want to at least give you an option to use something here." After the digimon had said that to me, they were pulling something out, and they were starting to walk closer to me, and the entire time that they were walking closer, I was just getting more confused at the thing that I was seeing.

They were giving me a weapon. Or it looked like it could be something like that. The digimon handed it to me, and then I was holding it a bit, just trying to think of something to say here. "That is a blade. It might not be able to help you much here, but I think that it is going to at least give you something to use. I hope that it can help you out once or twice at least. I think that it isn't really sharp enough to get you far, but it will be able to get you started." After the guy was saying that to me, I was then sighing, feeling like this was was going to be better than nothing at all.

I was then holding the blade, and I was looking at the digimon for a bit before I was starting to rub it up a bit. As I was rubbing the blade, I was finally having something to say now. "Thanks for letting me have something at least. I mean, I have no idea what the hell to say. I mean, I have no experience with something like this. But I feel like something like this is going to at least help me along, which is all that I can hope for." I said, and then I was seeing that there was a place that I could be able to put the blade, and I was seeing that there was a belt strap on it. Then I ended up putting it on, feeling like this was the best that I could be able to do. At least for the time being, since I did not want to run around with that out, and just basically look like a fucking idiot.

Then I was sitting down for a bit, just trying to find something else to be saying now. "Well, like I said, I feel like I just needed to get you something that can be able to help you out." After the digimon was saying this to me, I was seeing Bokomon and Neemon both looking like they were glad that was not turning down the chance to be able to use something like this. But then I was then thinking about what my first step to doing anything here would have been. I felt like I just needed to get one fucking clue, and that was all that I had needed to do to be fine.

"What do you think that I can be able to do to start this hunt? I think that at least I need a starting point before I go on and do anything else." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was wondering if this digimon was going to have something else to help me out with. As I was suggesting that to them, I was seeing the digimon standing up, and thinking that maybe there was something that I could be able to use.

The digimon opened up the door, and I was standing up, and I was wondering what they even wanted me to do in the first place. I was shocked at what they were even showing me in the first place. The digimon was pointing towards something like a cave, and they were looking right at me. "I always feel like the cave over there has had something going on there. I mean, I don't really know if it will be able to help you out again, but I feel like you should at least try and see what you can do." After the digimon had said that to me, they were looking right at me, and they were looking like they had really hoped that I was going to be able to have something to say to them.

"I guess that this is better than nothing at all. I mean, this might be a bit silly, but I think that I need to have something. Thanks for getting the ball rolling. There is a good chance that you have made a real difference, and that is something that you can be proud of." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, they were looking like they were glad to hear the fact that I was actually trying to help them out in any way at all.

"Just do whatever you can. I mean, just try your best to make something work. If none of this really works, then I will feel like nothing else worked at all. But please, don't get yourself killed. You need to try and save as many places as you can, and if that means that you can't go all out in most places, then that is something that has to be done. That is a small sacrifice that needs to be paid. I just wish that this can be fully repaired over time." After the digimon had said that to me, I was then thinking about what was going on, and then I was just thinking that this was all that I was going to be using now.

I was then starting to head on towards the cave, and then before I left, I decided that I was going to try and say one final thing to them, and that I was needing to make them feel better about everything. "Hey, I will do everything if I have to. I mean, as much as I want to go home, seeing this place, and seeing how broken it is, I can't really properly justify going around and doing nothing. I feel like I need to try and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, I was just thinking about everything that had been going on now. I was thinking that as long as Bokomon and Neemon were here, that was going to be fine.

As we were walking along, I was just thinking about what had been happening, and what I would have to do once I go inside of there, just to make me feel better about everything that had been going. We were getting to the cave, and then as I was near the front of it, I was looking right at Bokomon and Neemon, just trying to find something that I could say to make them all feel better for what had been going on now.

"I don't know how well this is going to work. I think that the best that I can do is just try to fight if something comes along, and I hope that there is something here. But I just think that if there is nothing else that I can do, then I will have to try and find something else that I can do to make it work out." After I was saying that to them, I was then starting to go to the cave, and when I was heading on inside, I was thinking about what I was going to have to do when I was in there, and how to keep myself safe for a little while longer.

Once I was inside of the cave, I was just wondering what the hell I was even going to be doing now. I was holding the hilt of the blade, and as I was doing this, I was feeling like this was the very least that I could be able to do. I was just looking right at Bokomon and Neemon, just wanting to find something else to do to make things actually work out for the better.

I was just trying to find something else to say to them to make them actually have something to be going off of. "Hey Bokomon, do you have any idea what we should be doing? I mean, I am guessing that there is a good chance that we might have to be fighting a bunch of these random monsters and stuff. So I feel like this whole thing might just be a bit random." I said, and then I was looking around the cave, just trying to find something to do that can get me to feel better about what is even happening at this rate, feeling like I was just going to be sort of on my own with this, and that Bokomon and Neemon were not going to give me any good answers to my questions.

"Well, if you are going to have to fight, then I think that you will probably have something to use to keep yourself ready." After Bokomon said that, there was a calm noise, and I was unsure if that was just the natural noise of the cave, or a digimon coming around. I was thinking that either one were a real possibility, and if it was the latter, then something would have to be done to give me any chance to survive.

As I was walking a few more feet, this time, I was seeing something like a glowing light in the distance. I knew for a fact that this was going to be probably the monsters, and that I was going to have to finally just accept that something like this was going to be a fight I would need to be ready for.

I was holding the hilt tighter, thinking that as long as I was able to just keep myself calm, and as long as I kept myself looking like I had some level of composure, then I was going to have a small chance to pull this off. Bokomon and Neemon were both looking like they were actually a mild bit scared of what I was doing. You know, since I was not really holding myself together at this.

"Takuya, all you have to do is not let it have a chance to get to you. As long as you keep yourself composed, then you will be fine." After Bokomon was saying this to me, I was seeing them just looking like they were curious of how I was going to handle this now.

"Yeah, easiest thing in the world, I can totally do something like that." After I said this, that was when one of the monsters had seen me, and they were running towards me, and I was holding the blade as tightly as I could as I was already, to make sure that nothing was going to make me lose it or anything. As the monster was coming towards me and were only a couple of feet away, I was yelling at Bokomon and Neemon to get away.

The two digimon actually listened to me this time, and when the monster was close to us, I stabbed them right in the chest, and I was seeing that the monster was just some strange rock golem like thing. I did not know what exactly I was going to be able to do to destroy this with just a blade, since that was something that I just had a feeling was going to break.

As I had started tell myself that maybe there was a ever so small chance that I could be able to pull this whole thing off, the golem monster slapped me on the chest, and I was dragging myself across the ground, and I was seeing that the blade was still on the ground. With that, I was starting to crawl on my way to it, to still use something to help me out here. I was then slicing the blade across the rock leg of this monster, and I was wondering if that was going to be making any real difference. But in a way, I was just telling myself that anything was better than nothing at all.

Once I has sliced the leg a bit, I was seeing that the monster was sounding a bit annoyed, and then when the monster was getting ready to stomp on my chest and probably kill me that way, and I was starting to roll to the side. As I was rolling to the side of the room, and then I was standing up, feeling like I was finally ready to continue this fight, and not be making any real issues to this entire situation that was happening around me.

I was then just starting to feel like maybe I was getting something like minor road rash over what had just happened. But in a way, I was finding myself not even caring at all what I was doing. I just needed to try and find a way to keep myself safe, no matter what I was going to be presented with, I knew that the fight was something I had to win.

But at the same time, I was seeing that there was some sort of gem inside of the monster. I did not really know what it was, but all that I was able to see was that it was like a dark purple. I was seeing the monster coming towards me again, but I was just telling myself that I could not ever distract myself, I was not allowed to let myself down, to focus on what the hell was going on around me, and that I just had to focus on the monsters.

I jumped at the monster, and then toppled them down on the ground, and then I grabbed one of the rocks that was connecting the monster, and then I threw the rock right at the wall, thinking that if I had just removed a few of these rocks, I was going to be able to stab them, and that was all that I was going to be needing right now.

I was then taking out of the blade, and then I stabbed the blade right into this dark ball, and then I was seeing the ball starting to crack, and then the monster pushed me off of it, and then I was starting to fall down on my ass once again, and I was just seeing that this monster was going to be able to destroy me no matter what. All they needed to do was just destroy me in a simple act that would take a few seconds.

As I was seeing the monster look like they were unaffected by what I was doing, I was trying to find something that I could be able to do to make some form of a difference. They punched me in the chest, and I was feeling like this was the worst pain that I was going to be able to feel in my entire life. Then I was seeing the monster getting ready to do the attack that was realistically having a good chance to be the killing blow. I knew that I needed to finally fucking do something, to destroy this thing.

I was watching as they were balling up a giant fist, and then I stabbed the blade right into the ball once again, and this time, I saw that it was starting to break down. When I saw it break down into nothing at all, the monster started to crumble down to the ground, which was a indicator that this was not a real digimon after all, and one just made by this Cherubimon creature.

Then with that, I was seeing there being a white beam coming out of the digimon, and going towards the outside of the cave. Then I was looking right at the two digimon that went inside of the cave with me. I was unsure of what the hell I was even going to want to say at all. "Can we just get the hell out of here? I need something to help me recover, and I have a feeling that I need to see what that beam was, since I just think that this is going to be very important." I said, and then both Bokomon and Neemon seemed to agree with this. Mostly out of the fact that they were both interested in what that was as well.

Once we were all out of the cave, I was unsure of what the hell I was even going to be doing now. I felt like this entire situation was just a bit much to handle and stuff. But I did survive a fight in this place, and when I was reminding myself of that, I was starting to feel like I had a small chance of being able to win after all, and that was the one thing that I had needed to tell myself that this was at least relatively possible. I did not know how to feel on this matter, but I was just feeling like I had to try and stuff.

As I was looking around, I had seen that there was a building slowly being built in the area. I had no idea what the hell this building was doing now, since it was just so sudden. But I did not think too much on the whole issue. I was looking at Bokomon and Neemon, thinking of what I was going to even say to them now. I felt like this whole thing was a bit strange, thinking that I might as well just be glad that I had built something in this world again.

"So now that we have started to get something built here, what do you think that we should do now? I mean, I think that maybe if there is a digimon there, I can try and talk to them, and see what they might even be wishing to say to me." I said, and after I was done saying that to the two digimon at my side, I was then seeing both of them looking like they were glad to hear my idea on what I was planning to do here.

"Alright, I think that we should try that out. I am glad that you are trying to reach out to these digimon here." After Bokomon had said that to me, I was nodding, starting to walk towards the house, and I was thinking about what I was even going to be saying to that digimon anyways, and how I was going to get anywhere close to them wanting to even speak to me. I think that the best that I could do was just talk with them about how I ended up saving them, and bringing them back to life.

Eventually, I knocked on the door, wondering what I would even say to them now. I waited for several seconds, and as I had done that, I was about to give up on this, when I was heading out of the porch, but then the digimon that was inside answered the door and was looking right at me.

"What are you doing here?" The digimon that was at the house asked me, and the digimon was really small and looked like the wrinkles on their face would have been the bait to a generic witch in a lot of kids imagination. I was thinking of what I was going to say, but decided that I would just ask a basic question, hoping that it would be enough.

"I was wanting to know if there was something that you might need. I just came by here, and I was hoping that I could be able to help you out with whatever is going on here. Since the world is basically destroyed, and I was wondering how I would be able to help you out here." I said, and then the digimon looked right at me, as if thinking that I was being strange, and that there was no reason in the world for me to try and help them, when they had barely known me anyways.

"What are you going to be getting out of helping me in the first place? Since I barely even know you anyways." The digimon had said that to me, I was then just thinking about how I had literally just answered her question, but I decided not to say anything. Before I continue, yes I know, they are digital constructs and probably don't have a gender, but I just feel like maybe if I was able to choose, it would have been a girl.

"Look, I mean, I know it may sound strange to random have me show up here, and give you no real idea of what is going on. But trust me when I say that I feel like I need to help you out here. I think that this is utterly important right now." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I continued before they were even able to have a chance to talk. "I mean, there is something that destroyed this world, and I want to at least try and repair it. I mean, it might be impossible to do something, but I was sent here from my world to attempt to make this work out, and that is all that I am going to be trying to do for the time being."

The digimon was looking at me, as if unsure of what they were even going to wan to tell me in the first place. They were finding that they did not want to trust me here, but that there was something to this idea that could be able to maybe help them out if they were just going to stick around long enough to talk with me.

"How were you able to return me back here? I feel like there was a giant black moment. Almost like I died." After the digimon said that to me, I was then nodding, thinking that this was probably a valid assertion, and that I was going to have to find a way to make them feel like I was not going too hard on them. If such a thing was even going to be remotely possible. But I was then pointing to the yellow house that had been in the slight distance.

"That digimon who lived over there gave me a weapon to be fighting with, and told me of a cave to go and check out. So when I found that out, I decided that I would come along, and see what is going on here." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was seeing them looking at me, trying to think of something to say, but decided not to argue with me. If what I had said was true, then there was almost a level of gratefulness that they needed to feel with that digimon over there.

"Well, I think that maybe you should find out what exactly worked that made this work." After the digimon had said this to me, I was then looking right at them, feeling like I already had that answer for them ready to go. "Because two digimon aren't going to be able to rebuild or repopulate this world right now."

After they had said that, I decided to get right to the point of my answer. "The thing is that when I was in that cave, I fought something that looked liked a rock golem. When I had defeated it, which was possible to do by destroying something like a purple and black ball at the center, I saw there be something like a glowing white light coming out of the cave, and when I left the cave, I ended up seeing something there." By there, I was meaning the house, and I was pointing to the ground as if to show my point. "And then I came here to see what I had made, and here I am. Now I am here, I need to find a way to try and rebuild this world a bit more at a time. Now that I know how to do it. I think that I am going to need to find something to fight with." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing the digimon thinking about how something like this might be impossible, but could be worth the try at least.

"Well, how do you think that your fighting will be able to destroy more of those monsters, and kill bring this world back? Do you think that something like this actually is even possible?" The digimon asked me, and then I had no idea what the heck I was even going to be saying to them. I was feeling lost on this whole thing, and that was genuinely the best that I was going to be able to say to make things any different. I was then just looking down on the ground for a split second, wanting to find something else to say, but I knew that I was just not even needing to say much more to this. I was thinking about the fact that this was going to be something that I was forced to somehow bring together, even when it was impossible.

"I mean, I don't really now. I feel like I should at least try to make something like this work. I feel like this is the best that I could really do. Besides, I think that there might be a small chance that for now, it will just be you and that other digimon. There is going to have to be a focus on rebuilding, and repairing and stuff. I mean, I have no idea how well this is going to work, but sooner or later, if it seems like nothing is coming together, the need for re population might be what you need to make this work." After I was saying this to Bokomon and Neemon, I was just sort of thinking about what the hell I was going to do now. I knew that what I said sounded silly, but in a way, I was just not caring all that much if this was sounding stupid or not.

"I guess that I can sort of see what you are talking about. I just don't really know what to believe though. I think what would be best for you is to go in that cave again, and just see what you can do to make things work again. But you look rough. Maybe you can sleep for a bit." After the digimon had said that to me, I was thinking that this was a valid idea, and I decided that I was going to just try to see how this would work.

"I will try to rest a bit, but after that, I need to find a way to try and go longer, and try to find more material to repair all." I said, and then I was angry at myself. I was seeing Bokomon scared for me. I was seeing Bokomon just wanting to find something else to say, but that if they were going to try and tell me anything else, they were going to be feeling like I would probably be too tired and too confused to even want to try and listen to them.

I was then starting to walk to the yellow house, feeling like it would not only be a good chance to update them on what is going on but it was going to make me feel like there was a small chance that they were going to have something to say to me in order to help me out with this next steps of the journey. But Bokomon and Neemon were also following me, thinking that as long as they were at my side, I was not going to be messing up too badly.

I was at the other house, and then knocked on it. I was feeling like this was going to be the one thing that was just going to be really boring about this journey. Was the non stop need to constantly go to houses, to talk with a bunch of digimon to see how they were doing, and if there was anything else that I was going to be able to do to help them out. I felt like this was going to make up the vast majority of the time that I was going to be here.

When the digimon at that house answered me, they were looking like they were just wondering what I was going to say to them. "Hey, I had helped repair part of this digital world. I have no idea how well I was doing, but I felt like I needed to try. There was another house that I had brought here, and there is a digimon there that talked with me when I tried to approach them." When I had said that to them, I was seeing the digimon wanting to say more, but felt like that was all that they had needed to hear me try to tell them here.

"It may not be much, bit it is a start I guess. I don't know how much that is going to do though. But thanks for at least getting something rolling." After the digimon had said that to me, I was then looking at them, wondering what I would even want to say now. I was just thinking that if I did not find something to say, then they were going to be feeling like I had just wasted their time for no real good reason.

"I will try to do that soon enough. But right now, I am tired as hell, and I think that I need to try and sleep right now. I am tired, and I was beaten up rather badly here." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon at this house, they were looking at me, as if unsure of what I was even going to try and do once I was going to be waking up soon.

"If you need to rest for a bit, you can rest at my couch. I mean, I don't sleep there, so you can sleep there for a few hours or something. And then when you are well rested, you can be able to get right back to work, and you can help bring this town to some better form of honor." After the digimon was saying this to me, I was sighing, feeling like I needed to just go with anything that was coming here for the best.

"Thanks for giving me a place to stay at for a while. I know that if I were to try and go on and do anything else right now, I would not really accomplish anything at all." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, I was starting to walk to the couch of the room, and then I was just feeling like when I sat down on it that I was pretty much just feeling like I had the entire weight of the entire fucking world on my shoulders, and in a way I did. I had the weight of this world on my shoulders, and that was something that I had no idea how to handle.

"Do you think that you will stay here until everything in this town is restored back to the way that it once was?" After the digimon had asked me this question, I thought about that for a bit, thinking that I was going to have try to make it work, but at the same time, I felt this idea was probably not even going to be working out at all. I was thinking that maybe the whole town being restored was going to be a tall order, but given everything going on, it was still a valid order nonetheless.

"I think that it is worth the try at least. I don't know if I could be able to restore the whole entire thing, but I feel the attempt is going to be something that should be done at least." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was seeing them looking like in a way, they were glad to be hearing me give this type of answer. That they were feeling like maybe as long as I was going to at least find a way to try to make it work, then that was going to be the best that they were going to really be asking for.

"Alright, if you are still certain on this whole thing, then I will give you my blessing on this quest. I would rather have you try anyways." After the digimon was telling me this, I was laying down on the couch, having some of my legs sticking out, but at that moment, I was not even caring at all. I was just wanting the sleep more than anything else in the world. Although right when I was getting ready to sleep, that was when something else was coming to my mind. An even more important thought that was not able to escape my mind.

I was remembering the dream that I had that previous night, and I was scared at that shit. I mean, it was getting to me no matter how much I wanted to pretend like it was not all that big of a deal. I felt like I was just needing to find a way to avoid that dream, since it was even more scary than the whole digimon stuff. But I was telling myself that there was no way that dreams could be able to have sequels, and when I had said that to myself, I felt like I could be able to relax, and just put the whole thing behind me, and that I was going to just pretend like I never had the worst nightmare of my entire life that previous night, even if every single thing in the world was telling me that it had been.

As I had slept that night, despite the fact that I would have never guessed it, I was having a dream in that reality once again. The dream picked up right where the previous dream had left off, and it was pretty much a long and intricate story of how my life had been living in that time frame. I had a feeling that was long as I was pursuing destiny here, I was going to be having those types of dreams, and I did know if something like this was for better or for worse, but I did not know how to be feeling on this whole thing.

When I had gotten up, I was still remembering every single little detail that I had seen in that dream, trying my best to remember what I was going to be doing at this world that I was stuck in. And I knew that I was officially going to be considered missing by the people who were in this normal world, and that was something that I was going to fucking hate. The fact that I was never going to be able to go back to my normal world until I took care of these stupid issues.

I was shaking my head, walking down the pathway to the house, and I was looking right at Bokomon and Neemon, wondering what I was going to be telling them. I felt like I needed to try and be open with them, and not be making any real issues discussing things with the digimon at all. I mean, I was going to have to be getting along with them too much lately, and much more than I would have ever thought that I was going to need to.

"Hey, how did you sleep last night? It seemed like you were having some rough dreams or something," Bokomon said, and then I shook my head, as if thinking that Bokomon was going to have no idea what they were talking about, and I was thinking that maybe it would be best for them to not know how bad it truly could have been.

"I just have no idea what the general point to the dreams I am having even are. I think that this is the best way that I would be able to describe it. I think that if I were to try and talk about them, I would never be able to fully be able to explain how awful it really was, and that I would just be selling it all short." I was telling the digimon as Neemon was looking right at me, trying to find something to say to me to make me speak out to them more.

"Do yousa think that yoursa dreams going to be important?" After Neemon asked me this question, I was leaving the house, to make sure that this digimon who hosted me would not be forced to deal with us as I was talking to them about some stupid dreams. But then I was trying to find a way to properly describe what I had been feeling here.

"Yeah, I would say that this is important. I don't really know the best way to describe why I think that they are going to be, but I have a feeling that something is going to be happening here." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing that Neemon was hoping that one way or another, they were going to be able to find a way to make me see why they were so important in the first place.

"Can you find a way to make sense out of it? Do you think that there is a overall structure to these dreams of yours?" After Bokomon was asking me this question, I was feeling lost to this. I felt like maybe they were just going to need to try to find something for me. Even if I did not think it was going to work, I felt like I might as well give them a chance to enlighten me on the things that I had been dealing with here.

"I have no idea. I mean, I guess that maybe I am just sort of seeing a more exciting version of my life or something. There is a tone vaguely similar to the one that I have spoken of here. You know, like the stuff related to destiny or something like that. But it is at my native world, Earth, and the fact that I have been sort of trying to take care of jobs for people that I do not even know at that place. I mean, it sounds silly, and even I know that it is, but I just can't really explain it in a proper way." I said, feeling like I should have given them more, but that I could not been able to do such a thing.

"I was told that I had a job that I was supposed to fulfill. I have no idea what this contract really is though. I was told that I have to find something like a box, and I was supposed to bring the box and its contents to the people who were giving me this job." I said, and then I was wondering if Bokomon had any idea of what was going on, or if they were just going to be telling me that I was insane, or if they were going to try to find some hidden meaning to what I had seen, which I knew was going to be a heaping load of fucking shit from day one.

"Have you gone on and returned the box yet? Maybe when your dream self eventually does this, then you will be able to have something to work with." After Bokomon had said that to me, I was then thinking about that for a moment, and then I shook my head, as if thinking that probably the one thing that I should have had happened, was one of the few things that had not happened at all. For some reason, the version of me in that dream would rather trust that strange girl than go out and try to do something for myself, and finish the contract.

"I mean, I probably should, but since I have no way to determine how the heck I am going to act in dreams, I think that something like this won't be happening for quite a while. Even if such a thing was going to be better for me." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, that had been the moment that I was going to have to think long and hard about what I was even going to do now. If what I was doing would have created any real difference.

"Once you return the box, do you think that this is going to be when the dream is going to end, and that you are going to have things sort of go back to normal?" After Bokomon asked me this question, I had thought about something like that for a moment. It was a good question, but at the same time, I was unsure of the life that I had been starting to live there.

"I really have no damn clue what the hell I am doing there. I think that when it is done, the contract being done I mean, then the story is going to keep going in its own way. I have a feeling that this story is never going to end. Or at least not until I have finished the stuff here, since I started that at the same time that I come here. I have no idea what this whole thing really is though." I said, and then I was laughing, at how fucking crazy what I was saying really was. I was thinking that maybe I could try to find a way to make it work, and not make it sound impossible.

"Anyways, I mean, I guess that I could talk about it here, but if I were to try and talk to you about all of these dreams, then the whole thing would just sound insane, and that is going to be a hard thing for me to accomplish and you know that I lost it if even some digimon are going to be like this." I said, and then after I was saying that, I was sitting down, and then I was looking right at Bokomon and Neemon, wondering if they had anything to say. "I mean, what else could I say that would really get the point across? Who knows, I think that this is just going to be fucking worthless, and that I am just going to have to accept the fact that in a way, I am truly alone for once in my life.

"Do you have any idea what the hell is going on at all? I mean, I feel like there is just so much stuff that we could have done here to make things better here. I mean, I can always just go inside of the cave, and see what the hell I am able to do, and I will see how this will even make sense." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then going back to the main point at hand, the one that I was talking about earlier.

"But god, the dreams are so strange. I mean, I have no idea what the general point even is. I mean, I can sort of see that maybe the dream was just trying to reach out to a part of me that wanted to have some form of a adventure. I don't know, but I just have something to try to find, and I think if I look enough, I can find something that can be able to justify what is going on." I said, thinking that this is the best that I was going to be able to really do here. That I needed to just somehow find a way to relax, and not be looking at this too badly.

"I mean, I am trying to protect somebody in that dream. Some young girl who I am not even sure if she is alive. I just feel like when I see that dream, and I am with her, and I see her looking like she needs to have somebody there for her, I feel like I need to just find something to make sure that she could be safe. But I guess that maybe I just need to get to know her, and when I do that, maybe things will start to make some sense." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two digimon, I was thinking about what I was going to do now.

"She seems like she is really needing somebody at her side. That is the very least that I can be able to say though. Maybe when I see what she needs, then I can be able to find a way to really branch out and get to know her. Get to know what is bothering her, and what I can be able to personally do to make it seem like maybe she does have some small chance." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was thinking that I was just dragging on.

"But do you want to protect her, or do you think that you just want to be on this on your own?" Bokomon had asked me, and then I was looking down, trying to find something to say, but was thinking that if I were to try, I would just be wasting my time as well as the time of everybody else on the planet. But I guess that maybe I just needed to keep something working out, and that maybe if I did protect her, something can be accomplished.

"I do want to protect her in a strange way. Or at least I do in the dream. I mean, I barely know her at all, and I should not really give a shit what she is doing, so I think that maybe I just need to find a way to get myself out of this. But that when I am seeing her, I feel like I should be doing everything that I could to make a difference." I said, and then I was so confused at how I felt, since there was no way in hell that I could be able to really properly justify the way that I had felt now.

"Do you have any idea what you will have to do to protect her, or do you feel like you are just going to be lost on this regard?" After Bokomon asked this, I knew that they were being serious, and that I needed to see what they had meant. I just needed to find a way to get the digimon to see that this was something that I would never be able to explain, even if I wanted to know everything here. But I felt like if I did that, then it was just going to be sort of unjustified.

"I think that I have no idea. I think that if I were to even pretend like I knew what was going on to protect her, then I would be lying through my fucking teeth. But I think that maybe there is something that I could do. And you know what that is? Getting here away from me, and getting her to see that I should be alone, and that I should be fully independent, no matter what the matter is, to make sure that nothing was to happen to her due to involvement of what I was doing." I said, and then after I was done saying that, I was seeing Bokomon looking like they had been wanting to find something else to say. But they were clearly just unsure of what I was going to be trying to accomplish by this now.

"I think that next time when I get that dream, I hope that myself will be able to will the question to her, to see what she thinks, to see how the hell she will know what to say to me. I think that when I see her, and she sees me for who I am, then everything is going to be all fine." After I had said that to the two digimon, I was shrugging, and looked at Bokomon and Neemon. "If that does not happen, then I have no idea what the hell I will be able to do. I think that this story will be lost and I will not be able to really get anything out of it if I do not see what is really happening here."

"I think that maybe when I know the truth of what is going on with her, I will try to speak to her, and see if she will be able to finally open up up to me, and make things make some sense and stuff." I said, and then I was seeing the digimon both looking like they were relatively unsure of what the hell was going to be happening, and that was the one thing that I was going to hate.

"I think that the best that I can do is just be patient. Patient enough to make her feel like she is not being overwhelmed by this whole thing, but also assertive enough with her to get that I want to have something discussed here, that I want her to understand that I am not going to be messing around here." I said, feeling like this statement was going to just be a really strange one, and that I needed to find a better way to describe it. But that for the time being, I was never going to do such a thing.

"Do you think that being patient will get her to talk with you more? I think that maybe you should be thinking about that a bit more." Bokomon said, and then that was when I had sighed, feeling like I was never going to be able to really describe how I had felt in one go, but that I needed to just try my best to talk with them, as a way to make this seem like it had some chance of making sense in a way.

"I think that this is the thing with dreams. We never really know what is going to be working, and what will not be working. I mean, I want to know what to say and what to do, but I think that such a thing is going to be impossible. I think that I should just accept that I am going to be done talking about this, because it will just not make any sense." I said, and then I felt like discussing this more often was just going to be a bit dumb, and that if I were to try and find something else, I would be making no real advancement to this whole discussion.

"I think that the more that I question this, the less sure that I am sure. The less that I am feeling like I would even want to be sure. In a way, I do not want to know what is going on here, and that is what I am finally starting to understand. The fact that when I am stuck here, questioning life, then it was just not going to make sense, or get even worse in that development." I said, feeling like I was finally done with this debate once and for all, just to finally think of a way that I could be able to wrap this up.

"Do you think that since I know you now, and that when you dream, you see things that you know, that I am going to meet you in that dream series? I mean, it might be strange, but I think that something like this could be able to happen. And I was wondering if since that is the truth, that maybe I have met this girl before, and that this is just sort of my way of getting to see what she is really like. I feel like this is a valid question." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two digimon, I saw that neither one of them were really wanting to either confirm nor deny something like this being possible, as that would be breaking the idea of reality.

"If that were true, then I think that maybe I could be able to have you guys going on and helping me out in this whole thing. I just think that something like this could be rather important." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, Neemon for once was actually the one who was answering the question that I had given them here.

"But yousa are not needings wesa to help yousa out." Neemon said, and I did not know what they were saying that for, even though I knew that deep down, they were probably just trying to act like they were all fine with everything going on right now. But then I was thinking that I needed to mention a point that even if I hated it, was still a relatively valid point nonetheless.

"Yeah, but then again, I should not even be on this world, and here I am right now. If you do not need me here, but I am still here, then I think that you guys can probably be fine with being around in our world and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering if what I had said was going to make any sense whatsoever. I just felt like there was not going to be too much more that I was even going to be truly getting out of any of this. I knew that I was probably not going to be able to convince them either.

"I guess that this is a somewhat valid point. But I do not know if you really need us to be helping you out at all. I think that you are going to be fine enough." After Bokomon was telling me this, I was just feeling like I was not going to be making any real difference. But at the same time, I was feeling like perhaps Bokomon was always going to find some form of argument with me to try and convince me that this idea of mine was just not going to be working out at all.

"I do have to wonder what the heck is going to be happening now. I mean, there is just nothing that I know about this road ahead of me. I wonder if you would be able to really get what it was like to have no idea what the hell your life is going to be like now. Knowing that you are going to be left alone, and that there is literally no life that you are going to live that will make any sense." I said, and then after I had said that to Bokomon and Neemon, I was wondering if they already did get it.

"I mean, I guess that you might be able to get it since you did have your entire world destroyed and stuff. I guess that maybe I will just never be able to fully understand what I am going to be feeling now. I guess that I will never understand what you are dealing with. After all, an entire world of yours was destroyed, and here I am talking about how just having a different life is going to be a bit much for me." I said, and then I was thinking that when I was putting it in that perspective, I was kind of being a bit of an asshole, and I knew that I did something wrong by acting like this in the first place.

"I guess when I place it in that perspective, I have something that I need to really consider now. But one of these days, when I am out of this, I might be able to start to get it all. I don't really have any plans here. So I guess that complaining about this whole thing is just going to never get anything done. I think that the less I talk about it, and the more that I go in action, the better everything will be for everybody, and that is what I need to tell myself." I said, and then I was just thinking about the life that I was going to be living now when I was alone for once.

"Besides, I think that I am just going to have a long road ahead of us. I think that my life is just going to be a really odd one, and that this is going to be a challenge and a half. But I think that maybe this is a challenge that could be worth going into. A challenge that I will actually almost enjoy. I mean, I will have two digimon at my side who will seem to look like they are willing to actually get me on the right path now. But I think that this is just a bit much to consider before I actually know what I actually know what the answers to the questions I have here is." I finally was feeling like I was done with these talks, and that I did not need to go any further with them at all anymore.

"I am so sorry about everything right now. I am talking about acting like I have the worst thing in the world going on, when I should be looking at you guys. You have a world that is gone. The fact that you have hope is just something that is amazing to me. I want to finally be like you." I said, and then after I was done saying that to them, there was something about this whole thing that I felt like I was just going to have to accept on my own for once.

"I need to accept the fact that I am going to be lost. The fact that nobody is really going to see where I am coming from. But I am going to have to accept the fact that even if nobody knows me, I will never know you guys. It is like a never ending path that I am going to have to be going through." I was done, as I stood up, looking right at the two digimon who were supposed to be my friends, who were supposed to actually try and help me along the way right now. But in a way, I was not sure if the help was going to be making any real difference here.

"I think that I should be letting this thing go right now. I am going to be going back in that cave, and I am going to see what I can do to make a difference." I said, and then after I was done saying that to them, I saw the two of them looking like they were just so glad to see that I was going to be on their side, and that they were going to be helping me do what they knew was the right path, and the only path that I needed to go through.

"How long do you think you are going to spend in their this time?" Bokomon asked me, and then after they had asked me this question, I had to think about that a bit. I had to think about the fact that I was going to be going inside of a cave that I was never going to get out of safely, and that I was going to probably be getting myself killed over this.

"Let's just see how long it takes for me to start to die, or feel like I am dying. I have no idea how long that is going to take, but I do know that this is going to be a nightmare. I have no real hope to this at all. I am going to see what I even have going for me here. But who knows? I think that maybe if I just focus enough, I will be fine on my own. I just want to finally go and do this for the sake of this town." I said, and then we were walking towards the cave, to see what was going on.

When I was in the cave, Bokomon decided to ask me an important question that was not related to things like the dream, or even earth, but more of a question that they felt like would be able to really get a good reaction out of me. "So Takuya, I do want to know something very interesting. Something that I know you probably don't really have an answer for, but I just can't help it." After the digimon asked me this, I was wanting to hear what they had wanted to ask.

"What do you feel about digimon being real? Are you sure that you don't think you are dreaming this, when you feel like you are certain that you are dreaming the other thing?" Bokomon asked, and I was feeling like this question was a bit strange, but that maybe I could be able to talk to them more on this idea a bit.

"Well, the thing is that I don't really have a clue how to feel. I know that this is not a dream though. There is just a organic feel to it. I mean, I know that this is strange for me to describe, but that is the best way that I can be able to pin point this. It just all feels too real for me to brush off for now." I said, and then after I was saying this to them, I was seeing Bokomon curious to what I had just said, thinking that they must get to know something else to this.

"I think that if I were to try and explain why I feel like this is real, you would laugh at me. You would think that I was crazy for not being able to really explain my problem. I just feel like it is wrong. It is not right for me to say that this is real, when I know for a fucking fact that this is not real." I said, and then after I was done, I did not think too much of it. I did not think that what I was saying was going to be changing my perception on anything.

"It is not all that strange. I mean, just until a couple of days ago, I did not really know for sure if humans were real. I mean, I wanted to believe, as you guys are the subjects of stories, and I always feel like when I would hear of you guys, there was always something to be proud of. I always felt like I could just dream of what it would be like. Now that I know what it is truly like, and I know that it is real, I am unsure of what to be saying here." After Bokomon told me that, they were clearly curious as to see what I was even going to tell them at this rate.

"So you get it after all. I mean, I was starting to think that you were not going to get it, and that you were going to brush me off as a idiot who has no idea of what I am talking about. But hearing you say that you get it makes me feel like I am not doing too bad here. I just wish that I was able to have something to go home with that I feel like people would be able to really believe me on. But I guess that something like this is just going to be too much to ask for. The idea that people are actually going to be taking me seriously is the one thing that I think people would never be able to fully accomplish." I said, and then I was just thinking about what I had said, and why I was even worried about this so much anyways.

"I think that people could possibly be wanting to believe me anyways. That you guys are real. But they will need to see it for themselves before I jump to such a thing. I mean, I was exactly like that. If somebody told me digimon were real, I would have laughed them off. But now here I am, and now I feel like I am just stupid for ever thinking that life outside of earth would never have existed." I said, and then that was when Bokomon decided to ask me yet another question.

"Did you seriously think that there was no life outside of earth? I mean, with the millions of words out there, surely there must have been some life that you would have believed in." After Bokomon said that to me, I was sighing, feeling like if they said that, I would have been looking more and more like a idiot.

"I mean, I did not think that there could have been a ton of life outside of earth. I mean, I felt like there always could have been something, but I did not ever have any idea of it being certain. I feel like when I was presented with something that would prove it, such as this, I would accept it. But I don't think I would want to admit something unless if the proof was there. And I think that was entirely where I had been coming from right now." I sighed, thinking about what I had just said, and the fact that just in twenty four hours, I realized how much of a idiot I really had been. And I did not even really think that I could have been one.

"Trust me when I say that I wish that I could take back that view of mine, and just show myself that all of this is real. If I had been able to do something like that, then everything could be so much better. But that is just impossible. I can't go on and change the way that I looked at things just because of the fact that I was proven wrong. I would have to admit that mistake, and I would have to try and move forward, thinking about how I was going to actually keep myself together mostly." I had said, and then when I had finished with that, I was thinking that this whole thing was just a bit strange, and that there was going to be no better way to ever describe such a thing.

"Well, now that you know the truth, are you ever going to come back here from time to time? Just to sort of see how things are going? To see how you are going to be able to make things better. I mean, I think that something like this could be a good idea. I think that it might be worth the try at least. To finally see what you can do to make it work for everybody else." After Bokomon had said that to me, I was then thinking about this whole thing, and what I was even going to be doing now. What I was going to try and accomplish with none of the resources that were given to me.

"I guess that I can see what I am supposed to be doing. I guess that I can try to piece things together. But in all honesty, if I were to come back here, I think that I might not be too welcome. Some might thing that I am already just making a mistake by being here. You know, I think that maybe I am just going to be better off on my own. Better off just trying to make a living for myself, and then if I needed to, come back and see how I can help you all out." I said, and then I was just trying to act like this was making some sense, but that if I were to try and go any deeper than this, I would just be on my own, and losing what I had ahead of me.

"But when you have a goal, and you have no idea where to get there, then we can always be there to stay at your side. You do not need to be pushing yourself away from us just because you are worried about what others might be saying." After Bokomon had said that to me, I was then sighing, trying to understand why this digimon cared so much about what I was doing, and caring so much about the way that I had felt on this matter. Which was just a matter they could not understand.

"I don't know when or if I can come back here. I don't know when or if I will ever have something that makes sense. I guess that doing something like that would just be impossible. Actually trying to plot this all out would be impossible. And I think that I just have to accept the fact that there is a life that I need to be getting ready for, with or without planning and with or without digimon." I said, and then there was a noise that I heard when I was getting near some stairs.

"I think that another fight is going to be happening soon, and I do not want to force you guys to get involved in any of this. So please let me just take care of the issue myself." I said, and then after I had said that to them, the two digimon were just looking like they were going to try and find a way to argue with me, while also sort of going along with the point that I was making at this moment. Sort of a way to kind of work with me on some regard.

"Well, if there is going to be a fight soon, then I think that it will be our job to make sure that nothing happens to you down there. To make sure you are safe. Besides your family wants you to be safe. And I think that there is not going to be too much down there that is going to be all that rough." After Bokomon said that, I was still able to respect the determination that they had to always find a way to argue with me. I did not know why my real life self was more fine with these monsters being with me than some school girl though. It just made no sense even to me.

Once we were down below, and I knew that I was not going to be getting any help in any way, that was when I was steeling myself to be ready for the fight that was going to be coming up next. So with that, I was seeing the monsters that were probably creations of Cherubimon looking at me, as if they were ready to see me coming closer. I did not quite get it, but the whole situation just felt a bit off, and I knew that I was going to have to take it much more seriously than I had been before.

As I was seeing them getting closer and closer to me, I was feeling like I needed to just be ready for whatever I was going to be fighting. I took out my blade again, feeling like it was finally time to be ready for the fighting that was going to be ahead of us now. I was then starting to feel like as the monster was coming closer and closer to me, that I might not be really ready for what was going to be happening now.

I was then keeping the blade in front of me, as my left hand was sort of holding above Bokomon and Neemon, and I did not want to be making a scene, but I was thinking that something could be ready to go down soon enough, and I was unsure of what I was even going to do if the digimon were going to just run under my arm, and just decide that they were going to fight anyways. I felt like such a thing was going to be a nightmare.

"I got this handled. For once, please just stay behind, and let me do the work for myself." I said, and then after I had done this, I was seeing the monster coming towards me, something like a weird hound like creature, and when I saw this happen, I swung the blade at them, trying to cause enough of a reaction to make them fall down and just possibly die that way. The hound got slightly cut, and as they were getting slightly cut, one of their paws scratched me a bit, and then I was moaning a bit, hating the fact that I was forced to fight stupid ass monster dogs like this.

The hound was looking right at me, and the entire time that they were doing this, I was seeing a look of pure anger and evil, and I knew that no matter what I was going to be dealing with, this was going to be the one thing that I was never going to be prepared for. Fighting monsters that had a very good chance of just killing me before I was able to even raise up my weapon at all. I felt like in a way, this whole entire thing was not going to be worth it. That the fighting was just going to be wearing me down, and that there was nothing that I was going to be able to do about this whole thing.

As the monster saw that I was meaning business, and that I was not going to be going down without a fight, they started to rub their good foot on the ground, and then they were breathing so hard to the point where I was able to actually see some steam coming right out of their nose. I knew that this was going to be a rough spot to be going through, but I just did not care. I was needing to fight, and that was all that I damn knew.

The monster was then running towards me, and then they were breathing something out of their mouth. Something like green flames, and some of it hit my pants, and then I rolled to the side, and then was holding the blade with both of my hands, and then after that, the monster was running towards me, and then I swung the blade once again at their side chest, and then they were starting to show something like a green blood as well.

I knew that whatever I was going to be getting ready for, this was just not seeming to be right. There was clearly something going on with that monster. But I did not want to really let my guard down, since if I were to do such a thing, I was going to let the monster then have a chance of getting to me and kill me that way. Which I knew was not going to really give me a chance to really fight properly in any way.

I was looking at the hound, and I was keeping my eyes as focused on this thing as I could. If I did not do this, I was going to let my guard down, and I was going to be getting myself killed. I knew that this was going to be the worst ending for everybody involved, and that was the one thing that I was becoming more and more ready to understand. I was then just seeing the hound looking like they were ready to make my life a living hell. Something that I was more certain than ever before that I could not be able to handle if I had nothing to help me besides a simple blade.

In a way, as I was seeing this, I was starting to realize that the idea of my death was not as much of a if as much as a when, and then after I was starting to make peace with that fact, I was then telling myself that it was just time for me to get to work, and that I was going to spend the days that I had here just thinning out their numbers rather than trying to win a losing war. Even if Cherubimon wins the war, I can win the small fights that are not a huge piece of the war.

As I was thinking like that more and more, I was seeing the hound starting to run in my direction again, and then I swung the blade again, and cut more of a gash at their other side. Then with that, the hound was looking right at me, and then they were breathing some fire onto my direction. Seeing that this was going to be happening, I was now more ready for it than ever, and then this time, instead of trying to escape what was about to happen, I was just slightly walking back, and then I still had some of the flames hit me on the foot since I was not fast enough and that pain made me fall down to the ground. As that was happening, that was when the monster started to run at me with a blaze of fury.

As that was happening, I knew that fighting this thing away was just not going to matter. I was then stabbing their lower chest when they were jumping at my direction, and then when I had done that, I was seeing them stop, and then fall down to the ground, and then I was pulling the blade out. Feeling like I had just done the worst fight of my life. Obviously so far. And then when the hound was starting to fade away, the data was flying towards the town, and I decided that I would check on how it was doing at that moment as well.

I was then looking at Bokomon and Neemon, and I was wanting to see how they were going to be feeling to this whole thing. If I was going to be able to get them to react in a way that was going to show that I had done something right. I mean, this was going to be hard, but I did not care. I felt like I just needed to try at least. I needed to at least try and make it feel like I was going to be reaching out to see what they were feeling now.

"Hey, I am honestly amazed that I even survived that stuff right now. I mean, I almost just died from that shit." I said, and then I was laughing at that, and while I did not even know why I was finding this so funny, I was just thinking about what we were going to be doing now. "Besides, I think that staying here any longer is just going to make things even worse. I think that I am just going to be heading out now. I want to see what impact I had at this place before I go back in there, for another suicide mission."

Bokomon and Neemon looked like they were both able to understand what I was coming from here. The fact that I was feeling scared, and the fact that I had basically just gone out of my way to fight a monster that I had no idea if I was going to survive or not. They were probably thinking that there was a small amount of courage to what I was doing. I did not really know if I was feeling it, but at the same time, in a way, I was just not even caring. I felt like I was just going to be doing things my own way, in a way that I knew I could survive.

"Takuya, do you feel like you are handling yourself fine enough?" After Bokomon had asked me this question, I was just unsure of what to be saying exactly. I was just shrugging, feeling like if I was wanting to find anything else to say, then I would just be sort of on my own with this. I was then just walking to the stairs, and I was placing the blade in the hilt, ready to see what I was going to have to do to do when I was up there to try and make some form of a difference. And if my difference was going to actually help any of the digimon out at all.

"Thanks for just staying at my side, and making sure that I have some form of a chance to be able to survive this whole thing. Makes me feel like when I have a guard at my side, or just a digimon rather, that I am not going to be in a spot that will be leaving me totally alone. I might not be super safe, but that is something that I can be able to live with. The idea of not being super safe on what I am doing." I said, and then I was thinking that this partnership was for the best.

Once we were out of the cave, I was seeing something like a giant windmill being built in the town, and a small house next to it. One story, and looked like it was only really there to fit one digimon. I was kind of confused at why it was located next to the windmill, and I felt like maybe I could be able to see what this digimon was feeling. Thinking that when I was going there, I would be able to see them for a bit, and see what was really bothering them at the moment.

I was looking at Bokomon and Neemon, and slowly nodded, thinking about how I was going to present myself to the digimon there, and if they were really going to want to speak at all. "Well, I think that I am going to be heading there, to see what they are going to want. After all, there is no point in just staying behind here for no real good reason." I said, and then after I had said that to Bokomon and Neemon, I started to head on over there, hoping very badly that this digimon was going to be on good terms with me, and not be treating me too bad.

As I was walking on to the small house next to the windmill, I knew that there was some stuff that I would have to say to them to make them feel like I was not just there to bother them or something. I mean, I knew that it was not going to be all that big of a deal, and that I could always just tell them that I was checking up to see if they were doing good, and then after that, I would be able to just leave them alone. But at the same time, a part of me was feeling like for the sake of being nice, I could still at least be slow at the introduction, and not push too far.

"Takuya, now that you have built up another house here, do you think that there is going to be more of a chance at this town being the way it was meant to be? How much more do you feel like has to be done?" Bokomon asked me, and then I was thinking about that for a bit, thinking that there was a good question in there.

"The thing is that I have no idea. I mean, I should probably just go down until the cave is at its bottom floor. I feel like if I do that, and just fight every monster I can, then I will have this town at least restored. And even if I fail and die after this, then I can at least have enough digimon saved to where I could see them start to repopulate, and expand the world that way." I said, imagining the situation they would be in under such a case.

I knocked on the door, and waited for a couple of seconds. As I was waiting for several seconds, that was when I was seeing the digimon who owned the house looking right at me, and they were clearly just more confused than angry to see me here. I decided that I would just get to the point, that way I would not have to deal with them being annoying. "Listen I know you have no idea who I am, and that I am just here randomly, and that you want me gone. But before you say it, I will want you to know that I am the one that is repairing this town, and I was just curious to see how you were doing here." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, they were just looking a bit stunned that I was reacting like this, with such vigor, before they even had a moment to process what I had been saying.

"Oh, okay, I was just unsure of what was going on was all. But do you know what you want to talk about?" After they had asked me this, I was just seeing them looking more confused at what was going on, hoping that I was going to be able to help them out properly, and that we could accomplish something together.

"I just know what is going on with your world, and I was hoping that I could be able to help you out. No real need to it. I just feel like you need some help. This place is a slum, and I want to make sure there is a chance you can survive. That is the only thing that I am worried about right now." After I had said that to them, I saw the digimon looking a bit more confused at what to say, but knew that I was just trying to be a regular guy at this.

"Well, I have no idea what is happening here. I think that your guess is as good as mine. But in all honesty, I am not worried about that. I am just worried about if there is going to be anything that is going to repair the damage that had been done. I think that this is much more important." After the digimon had said that to me, they were looking like they just genuinely wanted to see how I was going to be handling myself. As if they were thinking that a regular dude was not going to be ready for any of this. I would not blame them, but at the same time, I knew that they were not giving me enough credit here, after all I went through.

"Well, I had been hoping that you were going to be open to talk with me for a bit, that way I can understand this damn place better. Do you think that you are willing to do that?" After I had asked the digimon this, they were looking like they had been unsure of what to say. Thinking that it was a bit odd that I was trying to approach them at all, but thought that there was no harm in it, so with that, decided that they were going to just let me inside.

Once I was inside, I was then trying to think of what I was going to be saying to them, to make them not pissed at me here. "Hey, I was wondering what your main take away to any of this is anyways? I think that I just need to know what you are really going to think you will be getting here." After the digimon said that to me, I was then thinking about what to say. Why for once, I could not just be allowed to be a guy who was wanting some good out of this world, who was going to just try and make a real difference.

"Well, I was just told that there was something really crazy going on in this world, and I was forced to check it out. After seeing what is happening here, I guess that maybe that is a little bit of a understatement, and that is why I am going to be trying to help you. Even if you do not want me to do so, I want to think that I should at least be given a chance." I said, and was holding up my hands, hoping that the digimon was going to be cool with this response, and not think that I was taking it too far.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess that it is nice to have a human here who seems to want to try and help. I guess that I am just having a hard time fully getting it. Why you would want to force yourself into anything when you barely even know what this world is like in the first place. I mean, I think that you should just be going on your own life. I would be doing that if I were you." After the digimon was saying that to me, I was seeing them looking like they had wanted so much more, but was just unable to speak clearly until they knew more.

"I had no intention of ever going out of my world or anything. But I know that I have no choice but to stay here. So I am going to just try and see what I can do here. I think that it is the least that I can do." I said, and then after I had said that to them, they were looking like they had slowly been accepting what I had said, and accepting that I was actually telling the truth. Which made them more accepting to be willing to discuss with me.

"Do you think that anything like this will ever make sense to you? Like true sense that you can be able to follow. That is what I am more curious about. Seeing how you are able to really pin point all of this to a way that you feel like is going to be cohesive in any way at all." After the digimon said that, I was thinking, and in a way, I was unsure if I could. I was thinking that this was just going to be a mystery for me the rest of my life.

"I don't think that I will get it either. I think that if I were to try and get it, I would be more let down than everything else in my life. I think that I am going to just have to accept that this is something that I will be on my own on." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was curious to see what they were going to say. If they were just going to try and find something to say, or if they were going to try and find a way to get more out of me over something that I was just lost on myself.

"I just wish that I knew a way to get to earth. I heard some great stories about it. Makes me feel like it is the place to visit. I would like to get to see it one time, and see if it is worth all of the hype, all of the excitement that it has been given. I mean, what is so wrong about wishing for something such as this." After the digimon had said this to me, I was then thinking of what it would be like in their perspective. And when I had thought of that, I decided that maybe they could be having a valid point.

"I guess that is what happens when you believe in a story that you are not sure if it is real. I mean, you just start to want to know everything. You crave to know it all, and you will literally create any narrative in your mind to really see if it is going to be fitting that over and stuff." After I said that to the digimon, I was wondering if what I was going to say would have any effect on this whole thing. I felt like after this, I was going to find a new story to be saying to them now.

"I think that maybe this is why we do not hear of other worlds. Either we do not know of them or when we do learn of them, we are so scared of them, and their truth, that we lie about it, and we would do anything to make sure that nothing comes along and makes the narrative we have built of this world even worse. I think that maybe I know now." I said, and then I was feeling like for once, I was starting to have a real insight on the world and some matters of it.

"I guess that maybe when you think of it that way, that there is a small level of a chance that this could be true. To avoid the fear. The conflict if some knew would be unimaginable. Maybe whoever is keeping this information secret is doing it for the best. I guess that maybe when that is put to mind, everything is all fine to imagine. It makes me feel like there is a point to some lies here." After the digimon had said that to me, I was then thinking that maybe we were going to have one thing that could be able to be in common, and that we were going to have a road to be heading down now.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I mean, one of these days, the truth will be revealed, and everybody will know what this world is like. I mean, I have no idea if they will be ready for it when that happens, but I think that they are going to be all fine about it soon enough. I think that there is going to be something in them that will hate it at first, but then as they think about it more, they might be loving it more and more, and they might be thinking about what they can do to make sure that they don't lose what they are having." I said, and then I was just thinking about the statement that I had just made, and if they were going to even buy it. I mean, even in my mind, I was unsure if I was fully buying it.

"What are we going to be doing now? What is even going to be ahead of us in the future, at the rate we are heading?" After the digimon was saying that to me, I was then thinking about what was going to happen now. I had no idea where we were even going to be going with any of this, I felt like I was just needing to see how I was going to get this digimon to see that maybe we could have a connection here.

"I think that I am just going to continue to build this place up. That is the thing that I need to fix, and that when this is fixed, I might be tempted to tell everybody when I come home. See what they have to say. If they are wishing to believe me. I doubt that they are going to know what I mean, I guess that it does not really matter. I just wished that I would be able to find a way to prove what I was saying, and that I was not crazy at all. Or at least not entirely crazy." I was then laughing at the statement, thinking about how insane I must have sounded.

"Well, if that is the plan that you are having right now, then I am wishing you the best of luck right now. I think that you are probably trying your best given what you have. But I am curious to know something. Even if you do not like to consider it, I think you know that it is a valid consideration. What are you going to do if you end up failing here?" After the digimon had asked me this question, I had to think long and hard about what they were asking me, and that was what I was feeling like was going to be keeping me down. Thinking that maybe this was going to be a question I needed to answer but had no desire to.

"Listen, if that were to happen, then I hope that all the digimon that I would have saved by that point would be able to put aside their difference. That they would be able to learn that repopulation is important, and that not only is that important, but that you need to team up and try to save the world on its own." I said, and then after I was saying that to the digimon, I was seeing them just looking like this was all a bit confusing to consider.

"I think that once the population has gone back to something of a actual level after a generation or two, then I think after this, then it is going to be fine. But until then, we need to just focus on the one common goal we have. The one thing that matters. The one thing that will actually give you guys a chance here." I said, and then after I had said that, I was wondering what they were going to even want to say at that rate.

"But here is the thing. I just wish that I can make sure that this is as least of a problem as I can. Make sure that there is a good chance something like this does not need to happen. I feel like that is the least that I can do. Once I am sure that I have started to accomplish this, then I feel like at least something is done." I said, and then after I was done with saying that to them, I was seeing the digimon just wanting to say more.

"I doubt that I can make much progress, and I doubt that this progress will be getting me anywhere, but I feel like maybe that is no what really even matters anymore. I just have to focus on the road ahead of me. I think that maybe we just have to think about what it would be like if what little we have is totally thrown out the window, and then it was all going to be for nothing." I was saying, and then I was just trying to understand what the hell my point to all of this was in the first place.

"I think that when I try, and that I can make something work, other people, or digimon I should say, might be tempted to finally take down the path that I have been going down, and when I go down that path, then they might be willing to see that there is some form of a hope here. That is what I feel like I just need to try on. I need to at least try to make it all work. I want to at least see how far I can get before I would have to in a way pass down on this mantle to anybody else, who will have slightly less burden. And then every time every time the mantle is passed, the burden is slightly smaller than the one before. This will be a long effort, but I feel like the effort is going to be all worth it in the end." I said, and I was finally feeling like I was being the man that I needed to be, and the man that can have a chance to turn this around. Even if it was going to be impossible to work out in the end.

"Well, I think that I can speak for almost everybody when I say that what you are doing is very brave, and you should be glad that you are making an effort. That this effort is going to be what really matters at the end. I just wish that I was half as brave as you. But I am just here, a digimon meant to watch the wind mills of this place, just doing what I can to make sure that it has a small chance to run. But I doubt that any digimon really care what I feel here." After the digimon said that to me, I was then thinking of what I could say to make them feel better about what they were telling me there.

"The thing is that everybody is brave in their own way. What you are saying to me, and what you are acting like right now is brave in its way. Telling me that you can try to make it work, that you want to make it work, that is progress, and I think that this is something that you should be working with. I think that you can sort of be proud of yourself with that. Just focus on what you can to make it seem like you can make a difference. Everybody is out to contribute in a way. Everybody makes a contribution to this world in a way, even if you have no idea how this whole thing is working. But I guess that this is what you need to remember. That you are actually making something work, even when you do not know it." After I was saying that to them, I was thinking about the fact that this statement was just a bit strange, and that I was being too sensitive on this whole ordeal. But I wanted to try and make them feel like I could make them feel less awful about what was going on now.

"Please, just make sure that none of this is going to be getting too hard on you. I think that if something were to happen to you, then we would be losing the one thing that at least sounds like they are giving a damn. And then nobody wins, and it will all be for nothing. Just at least try to be alive. I think that everything is going to be fine, and then that is all that matters." After the digimon had said that to me, I was then thinking more on what was happening at this rate.

"Alright, I think that I can't make a promise, but that is something that I feel like I just need to try and work on. I think that I need to at least try and stay alive. I mean, I do also want to go home and be at my house and just find a way to settle down. And I can't do that if I am not even alive to do so." I said, and then I smiled at the fact that I was actually still thinking about going on, and still thinking about what it was going to be like if I had survived. Something that I felt like was going to be the pathway that mattered.

"Do you want to think about what it would be like when you see your family again? I mean, to have a goal. To love something enough that you are going to try to survive just to see it happen." After they had asked me this question, I was finding myself thinking about that a bit, and I was thinking about what I was going to need to say to them, to make it seem like it could come together about this whole thing.

"Before I head on out though, I was just wanting to say something else to you. Just wanted to make sure that nothing else matters. I think that you are going to need to consider where this is going to be going. Just think about the life that you are going to live now. I think that this is what you need to do. Think about the life that you have. When you think about the life that you have, and the life that is now at least given to you, I think that you are going to need to take that for what it is. I think that this is the life you are going to need to accept. After I had said that, the digimon nodded, and that was all that I had wanted from them. To accept what I had just said, and then I was thinking about what was going to happen now.

"Well, what are you going to be doing now? When you are going to be out there, trying to go around and save stuff? Do you think that something like this is going to be feasible?" After the digimon was asking me this, and that the whole idea of saving this world being possible or not, I had to truly think about it for a bit. I mean, I had no idea. And I was thinking that maybe this was going to be proof that I would have no idea. That I was going to have to wait for a while before I could see how plausible something like this was going to be.

"I don't know if an entire world can be rebuilt. I think that one must accept that there is a very good chance that something like this is just not going to happen. But I think that the effort is the main thing that people care about. The effort of finding a way to make something come together, to make people, digimon I mean, who have no hope, seem to grow some illusion to this whole thing. I think that this is the least that I can do." I said, and then after I had said that to the digimon, I was thinking about the promise that I was making, and the fact that this was probably the most that I have done to anybody in my life. And that this was going to be a huge step in the wrong direction if it failed.

"I think that a world coming back to what it once was, is just hard. I think that when I try to have some digimon show me the way that they like it, then I think that something like this is feasible. The idea that this place can have some chance. I think that when you are like this, we are just going to have to sort of love the digimon that are around us. To love the digimon that have been alone, and the digimon that have been wishing to have something at their side. I think that the very least we can do." I was then placing my hand on the knob.

"I just wish that I had an idea of how to make the digimon see that I do hope that things work out. I mean, I know that I am just one voice, and that one voice will make no difference, but I was wondering if there was something else that you felt like could be possible." After the digimon was saying this to me, I was then thinking about the fact that they were really shooting for something big. The fact that they were shooting to actually have a voice that mattered, when like they said, they were just one digimon.

"Well, just try to say something that can make one digimon feel like they matter. Just one, and then that digimon will then take that and hand it to another one. I think that this is the best that you can do. Just to try for something that is small, but will eventually grow over time. You can't jump from the start to the finish line so quickly. You got to try and earn that finish line over time." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing the digimon looking like they had no idea what they were going to want to believe. That this was just a bad attempt to make a difference, when that difference was going to be a long way coming.

"I don't know how well something like this can work. But at least you seem to be thinking that something like this has a chance of working. That is something that I feel like I need to take at least some pride in." After the digimon was saying this to me, I was seeing them trying to find something else to say, but at the same time, I did not know if I was going to really to say anything that would get this depressed digimon to be less depressed or anything like that. They had made up their mind, and that was the most that I was going to be able to do to accept such a thing.

"Do you really know how many digimon were destroyed by this whole thing? You know, in our town." The digimon asked me, and this was an answer that I was able to answer to them for once. Something that I knew they were going to have a hard time wrapping around, but I felt like over time, they would be able to sort of just accept what I had said, and they were going to just want to see how to move forward with this.

"Well, to be honest with you, there was only one house left when I came here. That yellow one. I used that as a starting point to bring you back here. It was the best that I could do. I went to that cave, and freed a house with that one witch looking digimon, then I went back and got your house. You're only the third house to be back in this place. You are only the fifth digimon left in this world that I know of. That wasn't a monster created by Cherubimon." I said, and I was still sticking to that narrative, even if it had turned out to be false, because I felt like it was a better lead than nothing.

"Do you seriously believe that this digimon was the one that caused all of this? Why would they even want to do such a thing?" After they had asked me this, I was shrugging, thinking that this was something that literally any guess was as good as the other, that I was just feeling so lost on this whole thing.

"It is the best lead that I have right now. You sure as hell bet that I am going to be going with this idea. I think that this is the least that I can do right now." I said, and then after I was saying this to them, I was seeing the digimon looking like they were unsure of how to react in any way. I was seeing the digimon looking a bit scared at the idea of Cherubimon. I mean, I guess maybe it was because I did not really get a full memo of this digimon when I was younger, but I was still having no idea why everybody was so uptight about this thing. It was like they were literally hearing of a legend coming back to life or something strange like that, and I just had no idea what was bothering them so badly.

"Do you know this digimon? I think that maybe I can find something to help you out. I just think that I can't really wrap my brain around this whole thing." I said, and I was ready to just try to understand why this digimon was just basically the name of death in this place. I mean, in a way, they were probably right. But at the same time, I was thinking that I just needed to try and find a way to make sense out of this whole thing, and then with that, I could be able to go along, and just try to understand the life that I was living at this moment.

"I only heard about it in legends and myths. I mean, I never really thought of them as real. I mean, how could I? I thought that these stories were just that... Stories to get digimon scared at night. Stories to create nothing more than a reaction. How was I supposed to think that there was more to it than just that? I mean, come on." After the digimon was telling me this, I knew that they were having a valid point, and that perhaps I did need to consider it in their eyes. That I did need to see it in the light of a digimon who had grown up thinking of a story to be nothing more than story.

"Yeah, I guess that I can see it. It's like if Zeus was real. I don't know. I'm just confused about everything. But I will see what I can do. Thanks for talking to me." I said, stepped out, and was staring at the sky with Bokomon and Neemon at my side, thinking of the life that I was giving to this world, and how much I was going to have to go even further with this if I were to have any chance at all to make a difference.

...

At the same time that this was happening, there was a twelve year old kid in his house, just doing his own thing, not really knowing what his parents were doing, or really even caring all that much. He was feeling like they had been on their own thing, and he was thinking that if it was really all that big of a deal, they would have talked to him about this whole thing already. And since they did not, he was feeling like it was just a relatively minor detail.

He walked out of his room, just to see if he would be able to get his parents to tell him what he was allowed to do, and if he was going to be able to get them to maybe even stretch that out a bit more, for his own sake, since he felt if he was at least nice enough about it, they were going to open up to him, and let him do his own thing.

"Justin, we are going to be heading out soon. Don't stay up too late, and remember to keep the door locked at night." His mother had said to him, and Justin felt like this was going to be his loop hole. Knowing that his parents did not say that he was not allowed to do something, and he felt like perhaps he could get that to be his excuse if he had gotten in trouble.

Despite the fact that doing this would get them in trouble with the law if it was ever caught, there was a business trip that they would need to take every month, where they were gone for a week, and during that time, they let Justin have the house to himself. It had been a thing going on since he turned twelve, which they felt like he was old enough to take care of himself on short doses. After all, they did provide him a full set of meals to last him the week and left him some money every time to make sure he could buy stuff in case he had needed to. So it was not like he had nothing to do.

He always went to school, and he did his work every time, so they did not even need to worry about attendance. They felt like in general, Justin was a trustworthy enough kid to be able to take care of himself for a few days a month when they had a very important trip to do. Justin was glad his parents felt this way and that he was able to have a minor amount of liberty for one week every month, where he could get away with anything he had wanted, as long as he was smart enough to cover up what he had recently done if it was bad.

"Alright, see you guys when you get home." He said, and then he was thinking that the sooner they left him alone, the sooner he would finally be able to get the excitement that he hyped up for three weeks. They wished him well, and then they left the house, and then that was when Justin was finally sitting back, feeling like he was going to have to find a way to take the most of this week. The only bad part was that he was unsure of what his first action was going to be.

There was something going on that he had heard about lately, and he was feeling like he was ready to check that out. He was told by his parents that there was a new person moving in, and they also had a kid of their own. Justin felt like he was able to go on and meet that person, and that maybe if he was nice enough, the two of them could be able to kick off a friendship. Justin felt like the worst that would come out of this was them just simply saying no, and then he would be a little sad over it, but he would get over it soon enough.

As Justin was looking at the truck, and he was seeing that the move was in progress, and that was when Justin knew that he was going to be having his chance to see them soon, and that he was just going to have to just find a way to present himself well enough to make them think that he deserved to hang out with that kid.

He was standing up, and as he was doing this, there was a big smile on his face, and he knew that he was going to head on down there, and that when he met them, he was going to give his best behavior. To not give a single bad impression over what had been happening. Justin was starting to put on his shoes, feeling like he was having something to do now. He smiled at the prospect of a friend, and the prospect of a adventure. And that he was going to finally have a chance to make things exciting from day one. Even though he would have hated doing this if his parents did this to him, when he was the one doing this, he was feeling like he was able to do something exciting on his own.

Justin was feeling like if there was going to be any issues that would come along with this whole thing, he would rather deal with those than not be doing anything at all, and the was going to be glad to at least try before anything else. That was the thing that he was telling himself over and over again. That he was going to be enjoying this whole thing, and that no matter what was going to happen, he would be proud of himself for trying his best to actually have something of a social life going on.

As he wad outside of his house, he was seeing that the kid was leaving the house car. He was excited as shit to see this kid. And he was walking right towards them, thinking that he would just get himself right into the conversation, and that he was not going to be wasting any of his time at all.

"Hey, are you the new person moving in?" Justin asked the boy, and then the younger boy, probably about ten or so, looked up, and saw Justin. As he was seeing Justin introducing himself, the kid felt glad in a way that he did not have to deal with the work of introducing himself, and that Justin had done it for him. Since. He was bad at social life, and felt like when somebody was doing it for him, that was all that he really needed.

"Yeah, I just got here today. I was probably going to be told by my parents to go on and meet you anyways." After the kid said that, he laughed, and Justin was unsure if he meant it in a real laugh, or if he was just doing that as a way to get himself feeling like he was actually going to be well adjusted quickly. Clearly, he was looking like he was unsure of how to be feeling right now. And Justin felt like he needed to try and help out making him feel better.

"Well, my parents are out right now, and I decided that since you were new here, I would at least introduce myself." After Justin had said that to the kid, he was seeing the other boy looking like he was not really all that sure of what else to say. So Justin decided he would take the helm for a bit longer, to try and make him feel like he was going to help him feel better.

"My name is Justin. What's your name?" Justin said, holding his hand out and then there was that part of him that was worrying that the boy was going to reject this idea, and think that maybe he was going to have to find a way to tell him how he was not huge on hand shakes or something silly like that. But the younger boy took his hand, and actually introduced himself back.

"My name is Shaun. Was there something that you were planning on doing soon?" After Shaun had asked that, he looked at his parents, wondering what they were going to say. His parents seemed to just look at him, and be happy that he was doing this at all, and nodded for them to actually continue going with this. Then with that, Justin was thinking that the two of them were going to actually get more done than just simply talking about bullshit that was boring and would not last for a very long time.

Once the two guys were done with their introduction, they were walking along, and Shaun was thinking about how he was going to be able to get to know this town a bit better. So he felt like he was going to be going with the simple question, to sort of slow the subject into something that Justin would probably find to be a suitable topic.

"Do you know of any fun place to be going at this town?" After Shaun asked him this question, Justin seemed to think about this a bit, and was wanting to find something that would really get him to be super into the whole swing of the town, and after a few seconds of thought to this, that was when Justin was feeling like he would be able to find something that Shaun would really like, one thing that was going to make him feel like he was going to be fitting right in.

"Maybe we can go on to the video store, and find a movie or two there that you might be able to enjoy." After Justin said that in response, that was when Shaun as thinking that this was going to be worth the try, and then was actually looking like he was excited to be doing this as well. After he had felt like this was going to be the best way to get Shaun to feel like he was going to be welcome in the, he was sort of finding himself unsure of if he was going to actually get Shaun to feel like he was truly a part of the town life. And that was when Justin felt like he needed to at least try to make it work.

As we were walking along, that was when Shaun decided to start talking again. "What types of friends do you have at this town?" After he had asked Justin this, there was a moment of silence, and Justin was feeling like this answer was going to be a bit silly, but it was going to be a valid one that he had felt like was going to get Shaun to know maybe a little bit about the friends that Justin hung out with, and sort of get them to feel like they were able to have a true grasp on the situation.

"Well, I doubt that they would be wanting to hang out with a younger kid. They might be thinking that something like this might be a bit silly, and then they would probably just make fun of you a ton for simply your age." Justin said, and he was feeling like this was the truth, and not even just saying that to Shaun to get him away. He was feeling like if this guy were to be there, then everything was going to be a giant fiasco of its own. Shaun looked like he was feeling a bit bad for what he was hearing, and then he was wanting to say something else.

"Do you think that you would be able to find a way to convince them that they should give me a chance?" After Shaun had asked Justin this, that was when Justin was looking like he was truly unsure of what to say. He was feeling like this might be something impossible to accomplish, but there was almost no need to even try to convince this guy, since it was just going to be impossible.

"I doubt that something like this will actually work. I mean, they might be letting you come for one hang out, but that is going to be it. They will do it once, and then they decide that it is not worth it, and then basically tell me that unless if I did not bring you, they might never want to hang out. I mean, I know it might be silly to say this, but I feel like it is a valid fear." Once Justin was done, that was when Shaun was looking down, feeling like there was no point in trying to argue with this anymore, since the point had been made by now.

"Alright, I guess that I won't bother you on this anymore. I think that you made your point." After Shaun had said that to Justin, he was looking a bit sad, feeling like perhaps he was going to be missing out on something great. There was a slight feeling of pity that Justin had when he was seeing Shaun looking like this, but he decided that he was not going to saying anything to the matter, thinking that almost none of this would matter now.

"I mean, it is not that big of a deal. You live literally next door. I mean, we could probably be able to hang out every week end anyways." Justin said, and then after he had said that to Shaun, that was when he was seeing his new friend looking like he was going to try to be fine with this answer, even if he was not too excited about it. Even if he was wishing to have more time to hang out, and then not be just feeling like he was going to be a second wheel during school anymore.

The two were getting closer to the store, and then that was when Justin was feeling like he would be able to try and find something else to say, to make the guy feel better about what was going on. "Hey Shaun, you are really going to enjoy it here. The town is honestly a lot of fun, and I think that you will fit right in in due time. Just wait for a while, and you will see that this really is not a bad place." After Justin said that to the man, he was feeling like there was something else to say, but that there was no need to say anything if there was not going to be anything that he would get out of it.

Eventually, the were getting near the store, and that was when Justin was feeling like soon enough, they were going to be finding something very fun. That all Justin needed for Shaun was just to be going along with this, and that there was going to have to be something that this boy was going to find fun. Something that this guy was going to like. At least one movie that was going to make him feel like he was properly in place. If such a thing could even be possible so fast after moving to this place.

Once at the entrance of the store, the two guys were seeing a girl who looked to be about eleven right there. She was looking like she was about to go inside. Despite the fact that Justin had never met her, he was not wanting to say anything, even on the chance of making a new friend, since he had no idea if she was going to be cool with this. So he decided that he was going to be remaining quiet about this whole thing.

But Shaun seemed to do the job for me, even if I was feeling like perhaps this was not going to be going well. "Hey, how are you?" He asked, and then the girl turned back, for a second, trying to understand why this kid was trying to talk with her. But at the same time, she was thinking that he was being nice enough, and that for the time being, she might as well see what was going on with him, and see why he was wanting to actually hang out with her for any reason whatsoever.

"Well, I'm okay. Are you the new kid that just moved here or something?" She asked, thinking that maybe this would explain why he was so happy to see her, when she knew nothing about this bloke. When she was feeling like he was just trying too hard to be talking with her, after not being here for more for a couple of hours.

"Well, yeah, I just got here earlier today." Shaun was saying, and then he was feeling like perhaps there was a level of annoyance that she was having, and even he was smart enough to notice that this might be happening, and then he was thinking that perhaps he needed to find his way out of this situation, to make her feel like he was not invading on her privacy or anything like that.

"Oh okay, I guess that explains why you are reaching out to me." After she had said that to Shaun, she was looking at Justin, as if thinking about a way she would get him to explain what was happening. "Are you like his brother or something like that? In the future, you should tell him not to be reaching out randomly to people." After she had said that to Justin, that was when Justin was holding up his hand, thinking that maybe this was going to get the point across.

"No, I barely know him. I just met him today. We live next door." Justin said, and he himself was not sure how much that really mattered, but he was feeling like even if Shaun was not a bad guy, he was going to have to try and separate himself from Shaun on this extent, thinking that if she connected the two in any way, he was going to be feeling like perhaps he was going to lose his own mind at this prospect and stuff.

"What are you doing here right now?" After the girl had asked him this, that was when Justin was unsure of what to say. He was thinking that she was asking a random question, and that it was not even all that big of a deal. Justin just wanted to make sure that no matter what, he was not going to be looking like he was a bit of a loser talking to this cute girl while he was just dealing with his new neighbor.

"What is your name? My name is Justin, and his name is Shaun." After he had asked this girl this question, he was wondering what she would be telling him, probably thinking that she would be able to brush him off, and even Justin was going to be able to see why she would want to do such a thing to him, considering the fact that they barely knew each other in the first place. "If you want to go and hang out, then we can probably be able to find something to do." He knew that this was sounding like he was pushing a bit too far, but he felt like there was nothing wrong with trying at least to make her feel more included.

"My name is Crystal. Yeah I know, not that common of a name, but at least my parents thought it would suit me." After she had said that to Justin, that was when she was looking just kind of confused at why he was trying to approach her like this when she had not known him, and why he was wanting to be friends with her in the first place, when he had barely known her anyways.

"Why would you want to hang out with me anyways? I mean, I don't even know you." After she had said that to Justin, that was when he was unsure of what to say. He was not sure if he was able to give her a answer. He was feeling like maybe this answer was going to make her feel a bit stupid. So he was thinking he would tell her the truth, and that with that, he was going to make her feel like maybe the two of them could be able to kick off something, with Shaun at their side this whole time.

"I mean, I think that it could be some fun. That is the main reason why I want to try." Justin said, wondering if it was going to be sticking with her, or if she was going to be trying to tell me off now. But despite what Justin was feeling, he was wondering if she was going to try and say something else now. Or if she was thinking that there was nothing wrong with giving this a try, and seeing how this whole thing could actually work out if she were to try and give it a try.

The more that she thought about it, the more that she was feeling the need to cave in, thinking about what she was going to do now. "Fine, I guess that there is nothing wrong with trying at least. I just hope that you know what you are going to be ready for." After she had said that, she pointed her tongue down, as if feeling like she was going to be able to come off in a playful mood here, and Justin did not know if was part of per personality, or if she was forcing herself to be acting like this, when she was having no desire to be doing any of this.

The three of them went inside of the store and started to go around looking for a bit, to see what they were going to be able to find out if there was something there that they could watch. Justin was thinking that he needed to find a way to get Crystal to find a movie for them, since she clearly had more experience with this whole thing than he did. But at the same time, he was thinking that since Shaun had moved in here first, he was going to need to be the one who would open up about what they should be doing, and he could be able to get the ball rolling there.

"What type of stuff do you guys usually watch?" After Justin had asked this, he was wondering if she was truly going to want them to see what she was into, or if she was going to try and brush this whole thing off, as if thinking that this comment was like evil or something strange like that. But Justin was feeling like maybe he would just not be saying anything at all, and that if he was quiet, then maybe she would say something of value.

"Well, trust me when I say that it would be nothing that you would find interesting. But I think that if we looked hard enough, I could be able to find something that might have some interest to all three of us." After she had said that, there was a call to them, and then Justin and Crystal looked around and saw that Shaun was not next to them anymore. They looked and saw Shaun at a distant area in the store, and they knew that he was the one that had called out to them.

Justin and Crystal were unaware of why he was calling them over like this, but they were thinking that they might as well just see what the was talking about. They reached the slightly younger kid, and he was showing them something.

This item was something that looked like a old movie. There was no cover, only a case that was clear. Even the disc did not have anything in it. That was when Justin was looking at Shaun, wondering what to be saying here. "Do you think that there might be something on this." After Justin had said that to Shaun, he was smiling, and he was thinking that this whole thing was quite a bit amusing, and that was when Shaun was just thinking that maybe there was something that he would have to say to get them to listen to them on this idea.

"I think that maybe we should watch it. I mean, we have no idea what this thing is, and I think it would be kind of cool to see what it looks like." After Shaun had said that, he was wanting to find something else to say. But at the same time, he was thinking that maybe Justin and Crystal were going to argue with him. But despite the fact that logic was telling them not to do this, they felt like they might as well just take a peak, and see why there was nothing on it, and why the material was looked like it had been hidden for some reason.

As this was happening, Crystal nodded, and Justin eventually nodded in reluctance, and then that was when Crystal was placing the thing in her pockets, looking at the two guys, wondering if they were going to call out to her and try to convince here that she was going too far with this. But they were deep down too interested to know what this was to try and fight it. So with that, they were going to decide that it was best to just try it out and see what was going to come out of this.

So with that, the three of them were walking out of the store, and Justin knew that since nobody was going to be at his house, he might as well see what it would be like to watch there, and then they were see what they were slowly getting more excited to see, and if it was going to be worth the anticipation that they had been growing from this whole thing. And that when they would see it, the whole thing would finally start to come together, and they were going to be able to have a opinion on this one way or another, and if they should have wasted their time on it at all.

Once they were inside of the house, the three kids sat down right away, and then they were looking right at each other, trying to think of some clever things to be saying. "Do I think that we should just get right to it. I mean, I am unsure of what we are going to be seeing, but it is going to be exciting." Justin said to the two peers, and then he was starting to put the disc inside of the player, and he was thinking about what he was going to be seeing. In a way, he was very excited to know if he was going to be seeing some great big secret in this town or something like that. He felt like that idea was a bit silly, but that he needed to just ponder what it could be like for the sake of excitement.

He was sat down net to them, and the television was turned on, and then the three were watching a guy sitting behind a table. He was staring right at the screen for several seconds. The guy looked like he was probably early thirties, and he was clearly looking like he was about to do something that was going to be getting himself in danger, and that was something that instantly rubbed Justin and the others in the wrong way.

"Look, I know that this story is going to be sounding crazy to virtually anybody else, but this is thee one chance that I have to tell the truth, and to let the world know of what is going on here. Let the world know of some of the mistakes that I have made, as well as the mistakes this town has made here." After he had started this recording, I was seeing him looking like he was just now starting to be more scared that he was going to tell somebody all of this stuff, and nobody was going to believe in him yet.

"So this story started when I was a young boy who had moved to this town, with my parents. That was about twelve or thirteen years ago, when I was still able to have a naive view in the world, and I felt like there was nothing going on at all. I was thinking that this was a clean slate, and that there was nothing to worry about. In fact, I felt like the idea of moving was actually going to be better for me and my family. And it was certainly going to be less hard on me than the other town that I had grown up in earlier." The guy was saying, and then Justin was looking right at Shaun and Crystal, unsure of what he was going to be saying now.

"I think that we might be watching a confession or something. I don't know if we should be watching this right now." Justin was saying to the two people watching at his side, and then Crystal was starting to make him feel better on this.

"Listen, I think that we have something big here. I mean, we should watch a bit, and see what he is going to be be saying. I mean, I think that there is nothing wrong with just watching what he has to say." After Crystal said that, that was when she was seeing the other two guys thinking about that a bit, and then decided that she was probably right, and that the worst that can come out of this was not even going to be all that huge of a deal.

"Yeah, besides what can really be so bad about watching some guy talking about stupid stuff for an hour or two? I think that he is going to talk about how he never kissed anybody." After Shaun said that, Justin laughed a bit, thinking that this was a kind of funny thought, and that this was something he would actually be able to start to roll with, and then the guy was starting to continue his speech when the play button had been hit once again, and Justin had steeled himself to give it another round of listening.

"When we had moved here, I was just more focused on making friends, trying to fit in. I felt like there was no problem with just trying to be with some people in town. My parents seemed to be fine with it. I mean, I noticed that my parents seemed to be getting a lot more money, and that I was able to live much more comfortably, but I never really thought much of it. In fact, I was thinking that the promotion just actually helped them out even more than I ever thought that it was going to help. And in my mind, that was all that I needed to really think on this now." The guy continued, and the three kids were curious what he was meaning here, thinking there must have been something going on, but that he decided that there was not all that big of a issue going on here at all.

"I made a friend relatively quick. With a orange hair dude, and he was looking a little bit older than me, and he was a hard guy to deal with sometimes, since he kind of had that personality, but I never really thought that he was actually having anything against anybody. I think that maybe he was just wanting to have somebody reach out to them much more." After the guy had said that to the audience, he was rubbing his chin a bit, and when he had finished that, he was laughing for a second, in way of not being able to believe that this story was so innocent at first, and then he went on with his story for a while longer, to just vent on a bit longer, and make himself more at peace with what was happening.

"As I had noticed when I was here, that once every four to six weeks or so, there was something like a grinder that was going on around the town, piercing the city for several minutes, and I was confused at it, and scared of it the first time that I had ever heard something like this. But with each time that I heard this, the less that it was bothering me, and the more that it was turning into the noises that I would expect every so often. It was the other thing that I had noticed that started to really break me here." After the guy was saying this, Shaun was instantly looking scared at this.

"Is there something like that which actually does go off?" After Shaun had said that, Justin was placing his hand on Shaun's shoulder, trying to pretend like this whole thing was actually not that big of a deal but in all honesty, he knew why Shaun was having a bad reaction to this whole thing. Thinking that maybe he was being a regular kid when he was reacting like this.

"Yes, that does happen, although nobody knows what it is, so I think it would be best to be leaving the subject alone." After Justin had said that to the kid, the recording continued, and the three were going to learn something that none of them really thought too much over, even if it was sort of on the back of their minds here and there.

"The part that always really got to me was the fact that there was a bunch of people who would be going missing on a regular basis around this place. A few days usually after this grinding noise would go off, there was a person who would go missing. Mostly a girl, of all ages but I think I noticed that none of them were younger than like twelve or thirteen or something like that. I mean, that is not all that big of a deal, but I think that there were some theories that would be coming from this. And I had one of them myself, from the fear of what was happening, as well as the perpetual confusion." After the man said that, he was then trying to think back to what all of his theories actually were, and what was keeping him feeling this way.

"Well, I think one of my theories was that people who went missing would be taken up to the place where the grinder was at for the next time it would go off. Or that maybe there is something almost supernatural about this town, and that when this grinder goes on, that is sort of like the cue that we have to send somebody up there. Almost like a sacrifice. I mean, it sounds silly, but that was the original theory that I had made at first." Then he was just sort of looking at the screen, feeling lost on what to say now.

"Have you noticed much of this before? I mean, that is really scary." After Shaun was saying that to the two peers, he was seeing the two of them looking like there was not much of a well detailed answer that they were going to even be able to give. "If there is people who go missing, then there must be something that is driving all of this together."

"Yeah, I noticed it, but I never really thought too much on it. I think that as long as it does not happen to me, then it is not really something that matters all that much." After Crystal was saying that to Shaun, she was seeing him sort of looking like he was trying to find something else to say, but that there was virtually no real reason for him to be this worried, when he said that most of the people who were going missing were girls.

"Alright guys, we really need to continue this story right now. I think that the more we delay, the longer it is going to take to really get this story over with." After Justin said that, he was starting to finally feel like he was just going to be getting this done, and then the three of them could be able to see how to handle this in the future. "We can talk about it all when the story is over with." So with that, he was pressing the play button, just one step closer to being done with this recording.

"When I started to realize that all the people in the town were going missing, I was thinking about what I would try to do to learn the truth of what the hell is going on here. I mean, I felt like there surely have to have been something going on here that tied it all together. I mean, two or three people going missing would have been one thing, but it was literally once every several weeks for the last several years, and it is still going.

I figured that I should at least try to find what the answer to this whole thing really is, and when I decided that I would try to find the answer to what is happening here, I was starting to just look around the best I could and doing so in hours that people would not be thinking too deeply about what the fucking hell I was doing. I felt like if I was just looking here and looking there, then I would be able to keep the truth behind my motivation gone and stuff.

Sometimes I would stay after school for a few minutes and read the school library at the back end of the library where the librarian was always working, and I would try to see if there were papers about the cases. I did not care though if the woman there was going kick me out or not. I had a goal and that goal was to try and find the best way out of figuring this whole thing out. I wanted to find the answers, no matter what.

I read about how some of the cases were slowly having clues being given to where the whereabouts were, but I noticed that virtually none of them actually had any resolution. It was like the cases would have a start, and then there was something going on, and then the case was over eventually. Almost like nothing even mattered at all.

When I was done reading this area for several attempts, I realized that the school library, and probably by an extension, the library as a whole was not going to be giving me any answers. I felt like even trying to get the answers from them was just going to be a waste of my damn time. So with that, I decided to just try something else. This idea was probably going to rub people the wrong way, but I did not care. I knew that I had to try at least, and see how it could work.

So as I was feeling this way, I decided that I would give the library one more try. But not for more information about how people were having their cases turn up, but for ways that I would contact the families of all these people. I was taking out a bunch of notes, and then I was starting to write down every single note that I could be able to find, and trying to find a way to be able to connect all of it into one. Even if it was going to make people start to question if I was going too deep into this. Which I guess in a way, I would not even be able to blame them for feeling that way, but I did not care." The guy was continuing, and he was looking like this was the worst choice of his entire life.

"I went in and was reading through every single article once again, trying really hard to learn the truth of what was going on here, and while I did not know if something like this was really going to be happening, I was seeing that a couple of the articles were giving me some houses that I could be able to check out. And when I was looking like these notes, I decided that everything was going to be all fine and dandy. And then I would learn that I was in no place to be looking for this stuff, and then I would be able to be realistic on how overwhelming this whole damn thing really was.

So with that, I was walking along, and I was heading towards their houses. And when I was heading to that house, I knew that nothing that I was going to tell them would make them truly feel any better at first. But I felt like if I was able to show them that I would try to help them out here, try to save them, then I would be able to finally make something actually work. I was going to one of the houses, and knocked on the house, ready for some answers to actually help me start to understand what is actually happening here. But I guess that maybe I was probably thinking too deep into this whole thing, and in a way, I did not really care.

Once there was a answer, I was going to be getting right to the point. I did not want them to be feeling like I was going to stall out at all. Even if this was going to be a story that I wished to never be going over at all in my life. The person who answered was a woman who looked like she had been feeling desolate, and like she had wanted to give up on everything. As much as I hate to be so open about this, a small part of me was glad that in a way, I did find the right area. It made me feel like I had sort of hit the jack pot in a way.

I asked her if there was something that she would be able to tell me about her missing daughter. And I was telling her that I was not going to be taking too much of her time, if she did not want to talk to me, and that I was just wanting to know some answers to some questions, so that way I could be able to have some idea of what I was supposed to be doing here. I felt like what I was saying was reasonable enough, and I did think that if I was going to get this to work out. I felt like I just needed to be polite, and the more polite I was, the more they would listen to me. And the more that I feel like I could be able to accomplish something big out of this. But I was just thinking that I would try to just get something here.

As she was looking at me, I could clearly tell that she was not wanting to talk about this for too long. She was wanting to kick me out, and then I was just telling her that I was going to try and help, and that maybe she would just need to give me a chance. After I was saying that to her, she was looking more and more like she was finding it unable to fight with me. Almost thinking that giving me a chance was the only thing she could do, and that she would let me in for a few minutes. This was something that I was sort of shocked that going to be working out so well, and I was going to just jump right to the point and not make anything big out of it." After the guy was saying this, and he was feeling like he had to find something else to say. Justin and Crystal and Shaun was looking like they wanted to say something else. But Justin was starting to feel like he was a minor amount paranoid, thinking that surely something was going to be coming out of this now.

But despite his paranoia, he was listening as best as he would have been able to given the case and stuff. As he was listening to this whole recording, he was sort of unsure of what the hell was even going to be happening now. "So I was asking her some questions, and the entire time that I was asking her some questions, she was starting to give me some answers that I was unsure of what I was feeling here. I first asked her the last time that they had seen their daughter, which I felt like was a good starting point, and would be able to start to get her to feel like she would be more open with.

She simply said that the last time that she had seen her daughter was about a month prior to me asking her this question, and it was after school the previous day before she went missing, and she was telling me how her daughter seemed to have some things going on, and that despite the fact that she was wanting to respect her daughters space, she was feeling like this was an important discussion point, and one that really needed to be had here.

I had asked her if she was able to actually get to have her daughter be a little bit more open on this business, and she had said that she did not really get anything out of it. She had just said that she was tired of always doing bad on her school work, and that she was wanting to just finally pass some classes for once, and not deal with people always telling her that she was not going to be making much progress at the rate that she had been going on. She had felt like when people were acting like this around her, that it was the worst thing that could have been said.

Her mother looked shocked at the fact that somebody was straight up telling her daughter this, and that was something that she could not even try to say anything for or against. She was shocked was all, and that she was just trying to find a way to be helping her feel better here. She told her daughter that school was just a vicious cycle, and that she needed to just accept that there were always going to be people who would try to say stuff to her to make her feel worse about what she was doing.

When she had tried to tell her daughter this, she was aware of the fact that this was not going to be making any help, but that she was just trying hard to make her daughter feel better about something here. Then I had asked her if she had anybody in school who was friends with her. When I had asked her this question, that was when she had stopped for a couple of seconds, and a part of her was wondering why I was even doing this in the first place.

She just told me that she had a couple of friends here, but nobody that I would really know. Then I asked her what grade she was in when she had went missing, and then that was when she had told me that she was in the fifth grade, and that she was finally starting to feel like she had been fitting in more, aside from the fact that people were always making fun of her grades, but that outside of grades, on recess and stuff, she was actually an accepted person. When she had said fifth grade, that was when I was starting to feel like I could be able to fit something together.

I told her that I was in the fifth grade as well, and that I had probably seen her once or twice, which was the main reason why I stuck out to trying to find out the truth so much. After I had told her this, she was looking like this was an answer that would make some sense at least, and that when I had said that to her, she was then saying that she was talking about a new kid who had shown up about three weeks ago, when she had went missing that was.

I had confirmed to her that I was that guy she was talking about, and that I had no idea who any of these people were, but that I was just trying my best to be fitting in. But despite how much I wanted to fit in, I felt like I needed to know what was going on at the town, to be able to have something to go off of here. She was thinking about that for a bit, and decided that maybe this was a better point than she had wanted to make here.

After I had let her know that I was the new guy, and she was sort of cool with this fact, that was when the two of us were talking for a bit longer. I had asked her if her friends were going to be open with talking to me, and that maybe her friends were going to have a good point to be looking at, and that this was what I might need.

After I had told her this, and I was feeling like it was a valid point, she seemed to think about it, and decided to tell me that there was no point in not trying, and told me where some of her friends had lived, and who they were in general if I was to try and find them at school. Then with that, when I felt like I had gotten enough info, she said something else to me that I was not really ready for, no matter what.

She had told me that no matter how much I tried, no matter how much I wanted to find her, that maybe the police were never going to try and find her. That they were just not caring about this investigation too much. They they were just sort of putting a close on it, and that they were already pretending like it was not even all that huge of a issue.

I had told her that this was a huge issue, and that I was unable to get why the police were acting like this. I was telling her that the police needed to actually try and reach out to this more. But then she was telling me that she was thinking something like this was probably never really going to work out. She had told me that the police had already made their mind up on the matter, and that I just needed to accept the fact that in the eyes of the police, it was not all that big of a deal.

I told her that just because the police were like this, I was not going to be treating the matter like that, and that I would try my best to make sure that she was going to be found, and she was going to be safe. After I had said that to her, she was nodding, and telling me that she was glad that at least I was trying, and that if I managed to find her, she would hope that her daughter would be friends with me in the long run, since it would be the least that I would deserve after I would have done something like this.

After I had done this, I was then walking out of her house, and I was going to be looking around, to see what I could do to make it all work out." After the recording said that, Justin paused again, and this time, he was certain that there was something going on outside, and that when he had heard that, he was feeling like maybe he needed to try and figure what that was out. So he stood up, feeling like he would just look for a couple of minutes, and then when it was done, he would sit back down, and just finish this up. The other two looked at him, as if wondering what the whole problem really was, and if maybe Justin was just freaking out over something that was nit even there. Crystal and Shaun did look almost as scared as him.

"What do you think we should do?" Crystal asked, trying to find something to say to Justin, to be making him feel better about this whole thing. As Justin was thinking about it a bit, he was shaking his head, thinking that there was literally only one thing for him to do. Even if it was simple, and it was stupid, it was all that he could be able to do.

He had walked to the door of the house, and simply locked it. He was then looking right at the other two in the house, shaking his head, feeling like this was the best that he could do, and he was just feeling like the others would have every right to be trying to get more out of this, but for the time being, he did not think that it was going to be worth it at all. "Guys, I know that you are probably expecting the sky from me, but I don't think that something like this is possible." After Justin was saying that to the two of them, he was wondering what to be saying now, and then Justin was feeling like maybe there was more that he should be giving these two, if he was wanting to help out actually do better.

"Let's just continue to watch this, and ignore everything else. I think that this is simply the best that we are going to be able to do." After Justin had said that, he was feeling like he was going to be trying to convince himself more than he was going to be trying to convince the two of them. And he was well aware of this fact, and he was going to the couch to sit down again.

"Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean, you are looking like you are pretty shaken up about this whole thing. Like you actually believe in any of this." After Crystal said that, Justin thought about it. That was when he was realizing what his parents and peers meant by even a year being vital to that age range. Because due to his slightly more advanced age than theirs, he was able to have a bit more memory of this whole charade than either one of them, and especially Shaun regardless of age since he never lived here. But even his one year edge on Crystal would give him more advanced memory on these types of issues.

"I don't want to believe in any of this, but I have a feeling that I will have no choice but to. Trust me when I tell you this. I think that if I were to try and wipe away everything that I knew from this, then I would lying to myself more than anything else. Just take my advice when I say that we should be taking this more seriously." After Justin had said that to the two of them, they were hearing the utter seriousness of his voice. When they heard that, they knew that they needed to take him seriously.

"Alright, so something is going on here. Or you think that something is happening... But would you be willing to talk to us about what exactly that is?" After Crystal had asked Justin this, he was scratching his head a bit, as if he was feeling like nothing he was going to say was going to make a real difference. He was going to try to make things better for them, but knew that nothing he would say could make a difference.

"I just think that maybe all of those reports are starting to seem a little bit more valid. That is the best that I can say. I mean, I know that this does not enlighten you at all, and I am very sorry for that. But trust me when I say that I can't really come up with anything better for you to have here." Justin said, and then he was glancing at the others, and then he was thinking about how his lack of any real answer was only going to be making things worse for them.

"Anyways, all that I do know is that we should be taking a lot of the stuff that he says on here more seriously. I mean, I don't know what to think of this specific story right now, but I think that I need to be going in with this with a bucket of extra caution." After he was saying that, he sat down, and then Shaun was feeling like he should ask the next question, and that even if this was personal, it was a valid one, and he was wanting to see what Justin would honestly say to this.

"Do you have something personal with this whole missing persons case? Do you know somebody who went missing?" After Shaun had asked that to Justin, there was a look down on the ground, that was showing that Justin did not want to talk about it, but that he was going to, for the sake of having them possibly be able to get it.

"I had a friend back then, who had a twin sister. She went missing about eight months ago, which in this time frame, would be about five or six people going missing, and I did not know how to help him. He was lost on the whole matter, but he was slowly starting to look like he had gotten over it. I hate to admit it, but I was over it in like a month, just thinking that I should not focus on it anymore, and here I am, knowing that now I have a second chance." Justin said, feeling like this was all that he needed to say for them to get it.

"Do you think that the police will really be able to try and help out? Do you think that they know what to do?" Crystal was asking, and then after she had asked that to Justin, he was thinking about this question for a bit, thinking that maybe he needed to give a real answer, but that he was just unable to with the certain context that he had.

"I think that I should give them a chance. But I don't know how it will turn out if I do. But I think that maybe I should be watching more of this, to see how it all works out." Justin said, thinking that this was all he needed to say on the matter, and then before he continued, Shaun decided to say one more thing on the matter.

"Sorry for saying anything. If you want to, we can go back to just playing or something after this." Shaun asked, and then that was when Justin was starting to feel like everything was fleeting away from him, and all that courage that he had wished he had was starting to fly away, and that there was no reason to even pretend that he had any in the first place.

"Yeah, maybe we should try for something like that. Even if it doesn't work, at least trying won't hurt." After Justin said that, he was smiling a bit, and then he was thinking that if he were to do something like this, he would only have to suffer a little bit longer, and then he could be able to get right back to the normal swing of things. As if he was thinking hanging out with them was all that mattered. "I should not force this onto any of you."

"And I think that hanging out with you guys is a lot more fun than watching a guy confess all of his sins. Even if that does have a small amount of a charm to it." After he was saying that, this was when the three young kids were laughing, as if almost going right back into the light mood, and pretending like the whole dark seriousness never really happened in the first place, which was amazingly fast.

"Alright guys, I think for real, we should be going back to this. I mean, there is nothing fun that is going to be coming out of just staying here and debating sad stuff. Let's just watch it instead." Crystal said, and then that was when Justin was thinking that there was almost no value that would be coming out of doing any of this in the first place. But with barely anything to go with, that was when Justin was feeling like he needed to just take in the moments. Sure people may be going missing. And that might reduce the time that some of them would have. But that not doing anything fun was almost going to make things even worse, and that just hanging around and having fin was going to be their own way of making sure he was never contained in this self made prison of his in a strange way.

With that, Justin decided to press the play button, to see what the hell was going to be happening right at that damn moment. Justin had no idea what he was going to be putting himself in on, but he was thinking that as long as he was going to have some people at his side, that he was finally caring about, then it was going to be making this watching seem to be almost fun, and certainly not the nightmare that he was pretending like it was going to be on his mind.

"After I had left the house, and I was finally feeling like I could be able to have a good starting point, I was thinking that maybe I would find some of those friends that she quickly suggested to me before I left, and thinking that this was going to be a starting point that I could be able to bounce off of. After all, I was at least working something out with the classmates to try and finally do something good for once in my life.

So with that, the next day, I quickly found the friends that I had been told of. Well, one of the friends that I had been told of. And when I had heard of them, I decided that I was going to talk to them real nice and casual, feeling like that was long as I was going to be open with them, then they were going to actually be open with me on some level of desire. That they were not going to be open with me out of force and out of feeling like they could only do it to find that girl.

When I talked with one of them, the first time I spoke to them, they were pissed at me, and they were telling me that they wanted nothing to do with me. That I was only going to be making things worse for them. And maybe they were right. But I would fucking try all that I could to make sure that they were going to have somebody who they could be able to talk with. A few hours later, at the end of the day, they finally decided to give me a chance, and to let me know what was really going on here. They told me that they were scared of their friends going missing, and them going missing as well over what had happened.

When I had heard that, you can sure as hell bet that I was taken back. The fact that she was not only reaching out to me this time, and doing so in a way that was actually in a way of pleading me to help them, and I knew what I needed to do. I was scared for them, and I decided that I would be a man for once in my entire life. I said that I could be able to listen to them, and see what they had needed.

As she heard me say that to her, I decided that I was going to be very calm and I was going to be very cordial with her, and she was telling me all of the things she thought. She told me that she was unsure of how to help me, and that in a way, she had hated that she had no real clues. She wanted to help find her friend, and I knew that from the way that I was hearing her talk. That she wanted nothing more than the truth.

I told her that even if she had one or two tiny details, anything at all, and I would help her make a difference. As I was saying this to her, she looked like she was starting to try her damn best to find something to keep this going. She looking like anything was going to be putting some peace to her mind.

As I had gotten her to see that anything would help, she was starting to tell me some real information. She had started to tell me about a couple of things that they had discussed recently. As I had heard her reveal this important information to me, I was shocked, and I decided that I would have one important question to be asking her, out of feeling like this was very much needed.

She told me that she was just feeling like there was something happening here. Something that could surely be able to explain the problems that everybody had been having lately. I mean, I knew of the missing people, but I did not know if this fully connected, so I decided to ask the important question on my mind: What did she exactly mean by that?

After I had asked her this question, she said that she was worried about people hearing her, but that with everything going on, maybe it was going to be worth that, and that there was nothing wrong with just telling me more. She told me that she was believing that there was actually a legitimate conspiracy going around the town here. Something much deeper than anything could have possibly been getting the younger people here more ready for.

When she was telling me all of this stuff, I was feeling like there was so much more to be getting out of this, and that was when I had asked her what she was feeling like this conspiracy really was, and then she was looking like she would be having her funeral at this, but that she needed to just get it off her chest.

She told me that she was thinking that there was something bringing the town together with the missing people. That this was rather on purpose more than just a terrible set of events. She was saying to me that she had felt like maybe there was a story here, and that this story was getting much deeper than anybody or anything could have been able to possibly even fathom. She had felt like this was almost something people wanted." After the guy said that, he was pausing for a bit, and then that was when Justin was looking at the time, and saw that it was nearly eight a clock, and told himself that he did not know how long they could stay out, and that after this, they might need to wrap up.

Thankfully Justin was not the only one who was starting to realize the time that it was now. Crystal was noticing it a bit herself. "I think that maybe we should finish up this bit, and then go out for the night. I think that this is going to last quite a while." After she had said that to the two guys, the two of them were looking like in a way, they were kind of glad that she had said something like this to them in the first place.

"Yeah, we've already gone too far into this to give up now. But I am starting to think that maybe we should not have dealt with something like this in the first place." Justin said, and then before I was able to get back to the recording, that was when Shaun was asking an important question, one that he was hoping the two others would be able to give him straight up.

"When was the last time that the grinder went off? I think that I need to know. So I can be prepared for it going off again." After he had said that to them, Justin stopped and thought about it for a few seconds, as if unsure of how long it had been, but that with some time and effort, he would be able to know what to say.

"I think slightly less than four weeks ago. I mean, it probably won't be going again super soon, but I think that it is going to be happening in the next week or so. I think you will probably not hate it so much because you will have known about it already." After Justin told them this, he was hoping that this statement would be able to calm Shaun down a bit more. Despite the fact that Justin himself was not too much of a fan of this, he knew that Shaun was taking it really rough. And that it was his job to make sure that Shaun was going to go through this without a mental break down.

"I just want to know what that noise is going to be. I mean, I think that there has to be something going on down here that can explain everything." After he had said that to them, he was wondering if there was something else that he would be able to discuss. If any of it was really going to even matter all that much. "Do you think that there will be a way that I can be able to learn what that noise is without having too many adults telling me it is nothing?" The question was a valid one, and he was wondering if the other two were going to be giving him a straight forward response on this matter at least.

"I don't know if there is a way for you to learn. But I think that if we think too much on it, we are just going to never get anything done." Justin said, and he was seeing the sun starting to set. "In all reality, I think both of your parents are probably wanting you to return home. So I think that we should probably actually wrap up now." Once Justin finished saying that, he was looking at the two slightly younger kids, and both of them were looking like they were unable to really argue with him on this issue.

Justin was going to the door, and unlocked it, and bringing Shaun back was going to be easy. "Hey Shaun, since you live right next door, and it will be a Sunday, do you want to try to hang out again? You know, have a normal one? Watch a real movie or something." After Justin had said that, he was unsure of what Shaun was really going to say. But he was feeling like the offer was the least that he was going to be able to make here.

"Yeah, that will be a lot of fun. I hope that you can find some time to hang out with us during the summer. Since there's only about a week or two left of the year." After Shaun said that, Justin was nodding, feeling like this was the very least that he was going to be able to give that kid. And that giving him anything less was going to be kind of shallow But despite what he was feeling, there was something at the back of his mind still making him feel unsure. The fact that he was unsure if the people around him are going to be fully accepting him.

"Hey Crystal, I know today was a strange start, and that you know virtually nothing about me at all, but do you want to give hanging out another go after this?" Justin asked, and then after he was asking her this question, she looked down, feeling like this was something that she was going to be able to roll with. As long as he was actually going to be giving it a real chance, and not just brushing it all off.

"Yeah, I really would enjoy doing this. I mean, I know that you are probably having friends of your own, but I would not mind trying something out." After Crystal said that in response, she was feeling like she was still unsure of how much Justin was going to be going through with this, considering how shook he was sounding from everything. But she knew that there was nothing wrong with giving him a chance at least. After all, he was just a guy who had literally just met them earlier.

So with that, the three of them were walking out of the building, and then once they were all out of the house, Justin was thinking that he could try to have a casual conversation with Shaun. Try to make things seem less like they were in a mystery and more like they were in a general slice of life story. He had just hoped that this was going to stick, and that Shaun was not going to be calling it totally forced or anything.

"Hey, so Shaun, how do you feel about moving here? Do you have high hopes for it?" After Justin asked this question, thinking that it would be enough to get a conversation going, Shaun shrugged, as if he was unsure what to be feeling. As if his answer either way was going to be hard to really pin point. And maybe such a conclusion was going to be a valid one.

"I think that it could be fun. I just hope that I can make a friend or something in the next several days before I have to go home for the summer. And if nothing else, I can hang out with you every once in a while." After Shaun had said that, he was feeling like this was the best answer that he could give, and the one that was still leaving him with some hope of how things were going to be going in the future. If Justin was actually going to be able to roll with it, and not tell her off. Which was more scared of than everything else, since he was worried that Justin would not like him all that much in the time they had.

"How far away do you even live Crystal?" Shaun asked, thinking this was an important question, and one that would be able to have him feel like he was doing something important for once. Since he was scared that she was going to be walking home alone, and maybe it was the story they had just heard, but he was scared that she was going to be the next person who would be going missing, and he was worried that there would be nothing he could do about it.

That was the last thing this guy wanted, and he was willing to go a little out there, and over the edge to make sure that nothing were to happen to him. He knew that she would not deserve to be the next one missing. "Well, I live about thirty to forty minutes away. I have walked by here a couple of times. I guess that I did not know that anybody lived in this house before. So that was a interesting reveal for me." After she had said that to Justin, that was when Shaun was feeling like the answer was going to leave him sorely left down. If she had lived five minutes away, he would have been able to hang out with her just a bit longer, and see her home, but forty was a bit much. Forty minutes there and forty minutes back was going to very easily put the time to past nine when he would be home, and by then his parents would be furious on the first night in the town.

"I can walk you home tonight. I mean, I can stay out as late as I want." Justin said, and he was looking right at Shaun, as if aware of the fact that Shaun was actually thinking about this a bit more, hoping that Shaun would let him take care of this issue, so that way the two of them would not get in trouble.

"Alright, I mean, it might be wise considering the fact that the sun is starting to get dark now." Crystal said, and while she did not want to admit it, she was also feeling like maybe the truth behind that disc was starting to get to her a bit more, and she was not going to let anybody get in the way of her having some form of general safety.

"Do you have any plans tomorrow?" Crystal asked, knowing that he mentioned the idea of hanging out with Shaun and stuff, thinking about the fact that maybe if she was lucky, she was going to be able to get him to open up with her a bit more, and then hang out with her a bit longer and stuff. But he was unsure of what was going to actually be happening, and that was the thing that made the guy feel like hanging out with a girl that he did find kind of cute for such a long period of time to be a task, but a rewarding one if it were to work out as well as he was hoping.

"Well, aside from maybe hanging out with Shaun, I think that I won't really have anything to go with." After he had said that to her, he was feeling like he was going to have to find a way to be able to talk with her without making it sound like he was going to be losing any form of control that he was having. Since this was only going to be making things so much worse than it already was.

Eventually, Shaun was at his door, and looked right at Justin and Crystal. "Thanks for hanging out for a bit. Thanks for letting me feel like I have something to lay back on when I am here." After Shaun said that, he was thinking that the best he would get out of this whole life here was some friends, and some people who were actually going to make him feel like he was going to be welcome. He went inside of his house, and then with that, Justin took her home like a nice person.

The next day, after Justin had woke up, he was starting to rub his eyes a bit, feeling like he was just wanting to find something to do to get him excited for the next day. There was something about waking up that always made him feel like he would rather just not deal with anybody or anything around him at all. That was when Justin was feeling like maybe he was going to have to try and a find a way to make people find some excitement about staying at this house for a while longer. Then he looked out the living room window, looking at the house where Shaun had lived now. He was thinking that maybe he was needing to go and see how Shaun was doing there.

Justin placed on his shoes, and he was feeling like if Crystal really wanted to see them, then he could be able to just go over there, and see what she was wanting to do. He was feeling like talking with Shaun was going to be a way to get his mind off of how insane everything was seeming to be. Justin got out of the house, and then after he was starting to head on his way to the where Shaun had lived, he was thinking about what he was even going to be doing to make Shaun all excited for the stuff that they could be doing now.

As he was walking to where Shaun was living, Justin was starting to think of how scared that whole blog was making him. He was feeling like he was being too stupid about this though, and that he just had to be realistic about the fact that perhaps he was going too far with his fears. That maybe that was just a one off recording, and that he just needed to relax, as there was no chance that somebody was aware of this missing dvd, and that Justin was thinking probably nobody even cared about that too much. And with that, he was telling himself not to be too worried about this.

He eventually reached the front door of where Shaun had lived, and just slowly knocked on the door. He was thinking about what he was going to have to do to get Shaun more excited for this again. He was thinking that Shaun was probably going to make some form of a scene about hanging out when he had seen all of this stuff in the first place. But that at the same time, once he was used to everything going on, and he was over the revelation that there was probably something going on at this town, he was going to be over it for the most part.

Eventually, that was when Justin was knocking on the door, refusing to think about this whole thing getting in the way of a simple little hang out. Justin thought that even with the way that Shaun was clearly shaken about this whole thing, that he would still be find with a simple hang out, just to see how things were going to go now.

After a couple of seconds, Shaun answered the door, and was looking right at Justin, feeling like maybe he was going to be able to get right back down to the at least fun stuff of all of this. "Hey, how are you doing right now?" After he had asked Justin this, that was when Justin was just sort of unable to find a good answer, so he replied with just a simple shrug of the shoulder.

"Yeah, I am not exactly sure of how I am doing. I am kind of over that tape though. That was rough as hell, and I did not really think that I was going to have as much of a problem with it as I did. But I am kind of over it now." Justin said, and he was wondering what Shaun was going to be saying to this. If he was going to understand where Justin was coming from.

"Seriously, don't worry about any of that stuff. Just focus on having a good time at this town. Once you are used to this, and you are over it, you will see that this really is not all that bad of a place." Then after that, he was feeling like he just needed to keep the comments to himself, since it was very obvious that this was bothering the new kid. But then Justin was sighing, wanting to say something else. But had no real idea of what he was even meaning.

"What are you wanting to do today?" After Shaun had asked Justin that question, that was when he was thinking that he was going to have a good answer this time. An answer that was going to be a bit manageable. Since he knew what he was going to want to do, as long as Shaun was willing to really give it a go.

"I was planning on just maybe going back to my place, or at your place, and then if Crystal or anybody else wanted to hang out, then we could be able to bring them along. But I don't know if something like that is going to really happen though." After Justin gave that answer, he was wondering what Shaun would even want to say to this. He was hoping that the kid was going to be fine with this type of plan, since it was nothing too crazy, and very manageable for most.

"I have to admit that I am curious to see if Crystal will want to come along and hang for a while, or if she is going to decide that she does not really want to hang out with us anymore, for some reason here or there. I don't know, I am just interested to see if this whole thing has been sort been ruined for everybody else. I just wish that she will give us another chance." After Shaun had said that to Justin, that was when both of the guys were thinking that something like this might be a valid wish. That this was something that he was sort of wishing for as well. But at the same time, he did not want to push anything onto them. That maybe Crystal was going to try and see how they were doing, and then after a while, the two could be able to go on and hang out for a bit.

"Hey, I think that she will be fine. I think that maybe she will just need some time. I doubt that she would not want to see us again at all. I think that she will just need some time to be getting used to the stuff that we are going to probably do in our hang outs here." Justin was saying, thinking about the fact that perhaps there was something that he was going to need to try and work out with his friends. That maybe there was something of a clarification that he would need here. That they were actually going to be his friends, and that he was just too worried about something that was not even going to be such a big issue in the first place.

"I bet that you are probably right. I guess that maybe I just get worried when I see people who are unsure of what they are even wanting to do on a regular basis. I feel like I need to just hang out with people who I know that I can trust." Shaun said, and then they were heading on towards Justin's house, and then that was when Shaun decided to ask him a simple question that he doubted would really matter all that much.

"Hey, how easy is it to make friends at this place? You know, that way I can be sort of ready to expect this all." After Shaun was asking Justin this, he was shrugging, as if thinking that perhaps there was something about this that could be hard to do for a new comer. But then again, that was when Justin was thinking about it a bit, thinking that it was really not going to be all that hard.

"I think that as long as you don't act too strange, and you are trying to be a civil person, you are going to be fine. Don't worry about it all that much, just take some time, and relax about what is going on. I think that you just need to be open with the fact that there is going to need to be some time for a while, and then when you finally start to get some real friends, you will realize that it is not all that bad." After Justin said that, they were getting inside of his house, and then Justin was feeling like he could be able to relax for a while, and that everything would be all fine and dandy. They were inside, and Justin almost entirely forgot about the video they watched the previous day.

As they were pretending to look like they were not too worried about anything at all, Justin was sitting down, and he was looking right at Shaun, wondering what the younger boy was going to be saying. Almost thinking that he was going to just try and find something to say just for the sake of not thinking about that video or anything. Justin had no wish to watch this stupid movie anyways, and he was thinking that he had been done watching some intrigue.

"Hey, what do you think that your parents are going to do if they find you with that dvd? Do you think that they might even care all that much?" Shaun asked, and that was actually a decent question, and Justin had taken a short moment to think about it for a bit, and he was just sort of unsure of what he was going to tell this kid anyways. Or if he was going to be able to say anything that can make this kid not be acting like this was some terrible event.

"They will probably be over it soon enough. I think that they are just more worried about if there is going to be something on there. But I doubt that they are going to care that much about me watching some movies or anything. I think that you need to relax on that. Besides, I will be bringing the dvd in my room, and hide it. Or I could always just return it to the store, and then just place it in the return bin, and then everything would look like it had never happened." Justin said, and the crazy thing was that he was believing in what he had said. He did not think that his statement was all that strange, and even thought that it was going to be working out just fine anyways.

"I guess that this makes sense. I mean, I am just worried about you getting in trouble. But I guess that maybe it is not all that big of a deal anyways. Do you think that you want to learn what that recording was about anyways, or do you feel like you are done with that stuff anyways?" Shaun asked Justin, and that was when Justin was looking like he just needed to end this discussion, but decided that it was not all that big of a deal to just talk with him about this for a while longer.

"I think that I am done with this. To be honest, it is not going to be worth it. It is not going to be worth all the looking into. This whole thing is just a bit strange. But I guess that maybe there is always going to be some idea in my mind on what is happening here anyways." After Justin was saying that, he was then feeling like he wanted more to say, but that he was just going to need to leave the subject all alone.

"I am so glad that you are willing to put this behind you. I was worried that you actually wanted to see how far something like this can go. But I guess that it is not all that big of a deal. I think that maybe I was just too scared that people were going to make a big deal out of nothing." After Shaun was saying that to Justin, he was wanting to find something else to say. But then he was shrugging, not thinking too much to it anymore.

"Well, I guess that now that we are done talking about this, was there something that you were wanting to do now?" After Justin had asked her this question, he was wondering what he was even going to be doing now. He was feeling like he just had to find a way to make this whole hang out feel like it was not directly tied to that insane story, and that nothing was going to be all that hard.

"Hey, do you think that you could find something at this house that you might be interested in?" After Justin had asked Shaun this, he was wondering what Shaun was even planning on doing. He was seeing Shaun walking around, and he was clearly hoping to find something at the house that was going to be interested in this whole thing. Shaun was feeling like there had to have been something that could make this work.

"I mean, I guess that you probably don't have that many things that are interesting since you are an only child and stuff." After Shaun was saying this to Justin, Justin was about to say something to defend himself, and then that was when Shaun was holding his hand up a bit more. "Don't worry about this right now. I mean, I know how it is like. I don't have any siblings either. I think that there is nothing too wrong with this. I just wish that there was something that could be able to keep us together." Once Shaun had finished saying that, that was when Justin was looking down a bit more.

"I mean, I think that is usually why I go to other peoples houses. To see if they have something else that is interesting to them." Justin was saying, and that was when Justin was just sort of wanting to see how this was going to go. If Shaun was going to be going with this whole thing. Or if Shaun was going to try and say something profound. But before either one of them were going to be able to say anything, that was when there was a knock on the door. Justin was confused at this, and was unsure who this man was, but he decided to just figure out out, as he was walking towards the door to answer it.

Justin answered the door, and when he had answered the door, he was seeing that Crystal was there, and she was looking like she was just glad to be seeing that Justin and Shaun were both there. Since she was wanting to see both of them, and with that, she was able to get just that. Justin was unsure of what to be saying now. He was thinking that there was not much to be worried about, and decided that he was just going to see what she would want to say now.

"Hey, what is going on? Is there something that you wanted us to see?" Justin asked, and he was feeling stupid for asking this question, but then she was laughing at this statement. Thinking that the guy was being too worried about things that he was not needing to worry about. When she was acting like this to him, that was when Justin was just trying to think of something else that he would say to make the conversation feel like it was going somewhere.

"I was not wanting to make a big deal out of anything. I was just wanting to hang out. You need to worry less about so many things. What is wrong with just hanging out normally?" After she had said that to Justin, that was when he was feeling like maybe she was right, and that he needed to just relax a bit, but there was more to this that he was feeling like he wanted to see. There was something else that he was just wanting to know.

"Did you tell your parents about us when you came home last night?" After Justin had asked this question, he was looking at her, as if hoping that she was going to be all able to tell him about this great conversation that she was having. But then he was thinking that maybe such a thing was just not going to be all that possible.

"I mean, I did not think about this too much. I just was sort of doing what I had wanted. I was hanging out with them for a few minutes, and then I went to bed. Once I got up though, I decided that i was going to come here, and see what you guys were doing. In case if you were wanting to do something." After she had said that to the two guys, she was thinking about something else that was not even mentioned earlier.

"Well, I guess that since you guys are here, we can be able to look at the options of what we can do here." Justin said, and then after he was saying that to the two peers, he was thinking that there was literally nothing that he was going to be able to do. That he was sort of out of options, as much as he was hating to admit it. But then he was looking at the dvd, just trying to decide if he wanted that or not.

"Shaun and I were just talking about that dvd for a while. We were thinking that it might be best to just leave the subject alone for now, just in case something were to be happening and stuff. I think that maybe if we just leave this alone, there will then be a small chance that we can be able to make this whole thing work." After Justin was saying this, he was sort of unsure of what was going to be happening at this rate.

"I think that maybe you are supposed to figure out what is going on there. I mean, that is looking like it might be a really big deal, and if you just brush it off any longer, then you might be losing any chance that you have of knowing the truth." After she was saying that to the two guys, she was sort of curious as to why Justin was so worried about this whole issue anyways. This was a bit odd that he would even give much of a damn in the first place. But then Justin was thinking that this whole thing was just too much to really even comprehend.

"Justin, do you think that we should be returning that to the store? I think that when that is back at the store, then we might have a chance to put this whole thing behind us. I think that this is the best that we can do." After she had said that to Justin, she was looking like she was a bit scared to see Justin actually thinking about every single idea that could be coming out of this.

"I think that if we return it, we might be able to have a chance to pretend like this is not really all that big of a deal. But please, we might be getting in trouble if somebody were to see what we were doing. They might be punishing us for this." After Justin was saying that, he was thinking about himself for once. Feeling like perhaps as long as he was realistic, the world would be kind to him, and then he was going to be able to get out of this whole thing. But even with this, he was just feeling like there was not much he was going to even accomplish in the first place. That he was just sort of speaking to a empty crowd.

"Well, it is going to be better to try and see what happens then do nothing at all. I think that perhaps we just gave to be realistic on this whole thing." After she was saying that to Justin, that was when she was looking at Shaun, sort of wondering what the youngest of the three was going to be saying to this. If he had any opinion on this whole issue. Or if he was just going to try and brush himself out of this.

"I think that we can try. I mean, I can see where you are both coming from to some extent. How hard this might actually be to pull off. But I do see that if we were to turn this back, then we might have a chance to be able to pull this off, and put this whole thing behind us." Shaun was saying and then he was taking a deep breath, thinking about which way the three of them should be taking, and what he was feeling like was going to come out of this.

"I mean, I think that if we stay here and debate too much longer, then we are never going to be getting anything done here." After Shaun had said that, he was feeling like this was going to be somewhat valid point, but that he was just wishing to hear either Justin or Crystal to be able to reject this. "But if we were to bring it back, then as much as I hate to say this, but I think that we might as well watch the rest of it. Just to see how this whole thing makes sense." After he had said that to the other two, he was then thinking about what was going to be happening upon returning this back, and if they were going to be making the right choice here. Since none of them were really ready to be acting like they knew what they were supposed to be doing.

"Well, if you guys really think that it is going to matter all that much, then perhaps we can just bring it back, and then do that after we have had a good viewing of this dvd. I think that this is the best that we can do, that will help us figure out what we are even doing." After Justin had said that, he was thinking that his life was over. Justin hated this, and he was scared of what was to be coming along now. Justin felt like this was going to be one of the worst mistakes that they could be possibly making.

"I guess that if we were to see what the rest of the dvd says, then we might be ready for what that guy was talking about. But at the same time, I think that this is just the worst mistake that we would make. Watching the rest of this, to see what we are supposed to be ready for." After Crystal said this, she was unable to believe how conflicted she had felt on this, and she was hating the fact that she truly thought about what to be doing now.

"This is going to be a long road ahead of us. I know that no matter what we are going to do, we are going to be sort of lost now. I think that this is quite possibly the worst thing that we could have done to ourselves." After Justin had said that, he was sort of thinking about what he was going to even be doing now. But at the same time, he was thinking that this life was just going to be better if he was going to actually work on the road that was ahead of him, and that he knew what this road was going to be bringing to him, and if it was going to be exciting or not.

"We might as well just see what the hell we are going to be doing to make this better for all of us." Justin was saying, as he was starting to walk closer to the dvd player, and he was just thinking that going here was going to be the worst choice that he was making. For some reason, every single part of his mind was telling him not to be doing this. And he was aware that this was a terrible idea, but at the same time, there was something else that was crossing his mind. Something that he was not sure if he should bring up, or if he was just stalling it out for a while longer.

"What if somebody knows that this is gone, and could be looking for it? Do you think that maybe we should be trying to get ready for something like this happening?" After Justin was asking this question, he was just sort of finding himself sort of unsure of what the hell he was even going to be doing now. After Justin was thinking about that for a while longer, that was when Justin was feeling like this whole ordeal was going to be a bit of a nightmare. The fact that somebody could come along and get these three kids in a huge amount of trouble over something that should seemingly not even be all that big of a deal in the first place.

"I would not really think that this is going to be all that big of a deal. You will be fine enough just staying here for a while. I think that you just need to relax. Besides, I think that maybe we just need to try and relax a while longer." Justin sat down on the couch, as Crystal sat down after she had closed the door, and then that was when Shaun was feeling like there was a choice that just needed to be made. This was dragging on for a long ass was only going to be making things worse for everybody. Justin knew that this reaction that Shaun was showing was a very valid one. But deep down inside, he was feeling like there was just going to be a big mistake by being open about this whole thing, for some strange reason. But then he was sighing, thinking that this was not even all that big of a deal in the first place. But then again, he was thinking that stalling was only going to be making it all worse for the people that cared for him.


	9. Arriving at Wayside

Chapter Nine: The Move

I remember when I had first moved to Wayside Minnesota in Nineteen Sixty Two, at the age of twelve years old. I was transferring to the seventh grade that year, and I was feeling like I was finally going to be able to do something that wasn't around sticking with my parents. I felt like this was going to be my chance to be able to actually go out there, and do something on my own. I was sort of unsure of what the heck I would do to get popular right away, but I felt like I just needed to at least try, since something like this was extra motivation to being a part of this town in the first place.

When the car parked on my first day at this town, and I was looking at my house, I was smiling a bit. I was then thinking about how awesome this whole thing was going to be. I was just not even going to be listening to my parents, and I was just going to be getting out of the car, and I was going to just try and hang out there for a couple of hours, to get used to this whole town and stuff, and then I would go out and try to go on and make some friends. I felt like something like this was all that I had needed.

I was looking around the empty house, just sort of trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this was the town that my parents had grown up when they were younger. Why they would want to leave this town in the first place. I was thinking that maybe I just needed to try and get to know why they had done this in the first place. I mean, it was none of my business, but I just felt like if I did not know, I was going to be just thinking that I had lost everything that I had wanted.

Then after I had started to look around for a few minutes, I was then sighing, thinking that I was going to just go to my bed, and then be ready to go to sleep for the night. After all, it was kind of late, so even if I wanted to hang out with people, I was probably not going to be able to go out and hang out with anybody at all. I was then thinking about what I was going to do to even go out and meet anybody who had wanted to hang out with me.

I did wish that my parents did move here with a couple of weeks before the year started, so I could make some connections. They only showed up the Thursday before the school year started, so I might as well not even try. Since there was no way that I was going to be making any friends in the next like three days. I just knew that I was going to have a better time waiting until the school year started and get that over with then.

I am not going to bore too much with the details on my early time here, so I am going to just skip to when the first day of school happened, which is when the story does start to pick up. I was going along, thinking about the rumors that I had been hearing of lately, and then I was thinking that I just needed to fucking know if the rumors had been true or not.

The rumors that I had heard was that this school was thirty stories high, and that each one of the floors were very different from each other, and that the school looked like it had been stacked on top of each other, in the most random way possible. I was feeling like when I was going to the school, I would either be just awe struck at what I would see, or I could laugh at the people who would be spreading this non sense, and then we would be able to just laugh it all off.

Eventually, I was starting to think that there was no way in hell that anybody would have been able to get away with making a school this big. I felt like if something like this actually was real, then that person would probably get fired and never be allowed to make a damn school again. I felt like there was just simply no way that something like this was even going to be feasible in any way. But I guess that I was just not really ready to face the idea that something could happen.

I was getting near the school, and I was feeling like when I would see the school, then everything was going to be all fine. I was looking up, for a couple of seconds, I was seeing that there was the school in the distance, and I was starting to feel like whatever I was looking at was just a bit overwhelming. I had no idea what I was going to be looking at, and this was going to be stuck inside of my mind for the rest of my life. The memory of the first time I saw this school.

I was then just starting to accept that as I was looking, the school was really this giant thirty story place. All mis matched with each floor. I was then telling myself that I was high on drugs, or that the person who made the school was the one who was high on drugs. But then after I was getting over it for a bit, I was then looking at the other people who were just passing by as if this did not matter at all. I was seeing them looking like they were just minding their own business. I had no idea how this was even going to be feasible. How they were so used to such a place.

I shook my head, feeling like I was just going to be going crazy now. I was seeing a guy walking around right behind me, and he was looking like he was excited to be seeing a new student at this side. "Hey, are you the new kid?" After he had asked me this question, I looked right at him, and then I was smiling. He was looking like he was just glad to know that he was going to be one of the first people who was going to be seeing the new student.

"Yeah, I moved literally just a couple of days ago. I decided that I would wait until the school year started before I was starting to go crazy and stuff. I feel like it was just the best that I was going to do." I said, and then I was seeing him just looking like he was wanting to say more. But then he was just seeing me looking at the school for a bit. And then he decided he would talk about that a bit, since that was what I was interested in here.

"I know what you are thinking. This is a thirty story school. I think that once you are used to it, then it is not going to really be getting to you too badly. I think that you will be just fine soon enough." After he had said that to me, I was wanting to say something, but I felt like I was just being a bit silly. So I decided that I was not going to say anything to this. I was just going to be going inside.

"I never thought that the rumors were true. I mean, everybody talks about it and stuff. I thought that it was just a story that people were telling in order to get some fame up on this school and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, the guy was wanting to find something else to say. But then he was just deciding that he was not going to worry about the school, and just try to make some form of small talk to get us rolling with this.

"My name is Kevin. What is your name? What made your parents want to come here in the first place?" After he had asked me all of these questions, I was kind of wishing him to slow damn with the damn questions, but I felt like this was just him trying to be polite, and that I was going to be a asshole if I did not treat him respectfully.

"My name is Todd. That being said, I have no idea what the heck made my parents want to come to this town. I think that they were just wanting to have something like a new business deal." I said, and then I was just trying to find something to say to them, to make him feel like there was a good excuse to this, that I just could not find.

"Honestly, I just want to see what my parents are going to be able to do once we are here. I want to know what they are even planning." I said, and then I was thinking that there must have been some form of a plan that was going on here. I felt like the way that I was saying this was just making me sound like they were like some stupid enemy or something like that. I knew that I was probably sounding stupid. But I was just wanting to see what Kevin was going to even say to that idea.

"Hey Todd, do you really think that your parents are up to anything? I think that this is just a bit silly to talk about." After Kevin said that to me, I was then sighing, feeling like I was just going to have to find something else to say to keep myself feeling maybe there was something that could keep us discussing things here.

"I mean, I don't really know. I don't really know if it really matters all that much. I just don't really care. I mean, if they are wanting some great business deal, then that is up to them. I am just going to try and make the most of it that I could. You know, just trying to not lose any interest in this place." I said, and then I was just sort of wanting to say something else. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe I was going to have to try and say more. But then again, the whole thing was a bit odd to handle.

We were eventually getting to the school, and then I was trying to find something else to say now. "Hey Kevin, what are your parents like?" I asked, and then I was seeing him looking like he was just unsure of what to say to me. I was seeing him looking like he did not even really care all that much. He was just more interested in hearing how I was doing, and not even really talking about something like his house. But at the same time, I was then thinking that maybe I deserved the chance to get to talk to him here, to see how it was gong.

"You know, I think that they are fine. I don't think that they are going to care all that much. I think that they are just doing what they want." After he was saying that to me, I was then seeing him wanting to talk about something else. Something that he was feeling like was much more interesting in his mind. "Do you want to hang out with each other at some point? I think that it could be a bit of fun." After he said that, I shrugged, thinking that it could be worth a go now.

As we were walking along, I was seeing that there were some very strange looking people in this school. I mean, just within the first time that I saw them already, I knew that this was going to be a rather interesting set up. I was seeing that there was a guy who was wearing a elf costume, and I was confused as to why he was wearing that when Halloween was not even for several more weeks from now. I was thinking that this was probably the dumbest choice of clothing that anybody could wear. I was looking right at Kevin, as if wanting to say something to him. "Hey, why is he wearing that type of clothes when Halloween is still a while away?" I had truly hoped he would explain to me why this place was so dumb in the first place.

"Oh this is something that you get used to when you live here. People do crazy stuff all the time. I would not be too worried about this. I think that you just need to not think about it." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking a bit like he was just not even caring about what he had said here. I was then thinking about the fact that his parents didn't tell him not to be wearing this type of clothes, and why he would be allowed to get away with this.

"I guess that when you have a school that is thirty floors high, you are going to think that things are not too strange." I said, and then I was laughing at that, almost thinking that everything was going to be fine. I was so confused about this town. I hated the fact that I was going to be living at a place that had no sense of consistency. I just wished that I had lived at a place that did not have any bullshit going on.

"Do you think that the teachers are going to be excited to have a new student here? I mean, when new people show up to a school in the middle of the year, the teachers seem to be a bit annoyed at the people who show up." After I was saying this to Kevin, he was shrugging, thinking about the fact that I had asked him a seemingly random question, that he really could not be able to answer, since he never had to deal with such a thing.

"I mean, I never thought about it too much. But I think that students moving in at the start of the year is different than students who show up half way through a year, and then suddenly act like they are just a part of the normal set up and stuff. I think that this is what really pisses the teachers off more than anything." After he had said that to me, I saw him wanting to find more to say, but felt like there was no need to.

"Yeah, you might be right. I just was thinking about the fact that maybe when I would show up here, that people were going to act like I was being a annoyance, and only making things worse for everybody. I guess that maybe I am thinking too deeply into it. I hope that I am thinking too deeply. Because I guess that maybe if my fears were right, then having friends is going to be really hard to do." I said, thinking about what I was even saying, and why I was saying all of this in the first place. But then again, I was thinking that maybe Kevin was going to try and say something profound.

"Oh it is not that big of a deal. I think that what you need to do is just relax, and not think too much on this issue. Once you realize how much you are thinking too deeply into this, then you will be fine with just having a good time here. I think that having a good time at this school is much more important than being worried about who is going to want to hang out with you right away or not." After he had said that to me, I was then thinking that there was something of validity to this.

"Yeah, I will try to relax on this whole thing. I think that if I try too hard and think about this stuff, then I will probably not even be having all that much fun with it." I said, and then after I was saying that to Kevin, I was then looking at him, trying to find something else to say. "Do you have any friends who are at the school that I might be able to get along with?" I asked, really hoping that Kevin could be able to help me get into the whole swing of moving here.

"I mean, I know some people who I hang out with. I think that maybe you could be able to possibly get along with them. I can show you some of them if you want." After Kevin told me this, I was then looking at him, and then I was nodding, feeling like this was something that I was going to be able to roll with. I was thinking that if it was this easy, I was going to be able to make some friends with little to no trouble.

"Who are some of them?" I asked, and then after I asked him this, that was when we were walking for a while longer, and then eventually, Kevin was showing me a girl who had like blue ish purple hair. She had giant ass glasses, and a green shirt with light brown pants. I figured that this would be the first person that Kevin would try to introduce me to, and I was wanting to see what she was like.

"Hey Dana, this is the guy who just showed up here for the school year." Kevin said, and then after he was saying that to the girl, she was looking right at me, and she was looking a bit happy. She was looking like she was glad to be one of the very first people in the school who were going to go on and meet me. As if that was something that she was thinking she would actually be proud of. "His name is Todd." I was thinking that when he had said that, I could have just told her myself, but I knew he was just trying to be polite with me and stuff.

"Hey, I was just led around the school for a bit." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was just trying to make it look like I was not thinking this was too hard or anything. I was just wanting to make it look like I was a normal ass guy who was not concerned about moving to a new town or anything of the matter.

"Do you like the school so far?" She asked me, and I was confused as to why she was asking me this when I just moved her. I mean, shouldn't I wait for a while before I make that type of conclusion? I felt like this was just a bit odd, but then I was thinking that I needed to find something else to talk about.

"Well, I mean, I barely know what the school is like right now. I think that I just need to wait around for a while before I can truly decide if I like the place or not." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing her nodding, as if feeling like maybe she was realizing how silly she was sounding to herself. But that she was just was just wanting to come off as a normal guy in this.

"Yeah, I should have been thinking about that more. Sorry for asking a dumb question. Doesn't matter. I know that you are going to love this school anyways. You just need to give it some time, and you will see that this was totally worth it." After she had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was genuinely meaning what she had said. I nodded, feeling like I just needed to give it a chance after all, to see if I could actually enjoy it.

"Well, I think that I will probably be fine with this place over time. I just need to sort of find a way to be getting used to this whole place." I said, and then after I was saying that to the girl, I was then wondering what I was even going to be doing with Dana, to make her feel happy to see me. I was thinking that this whole thing was going to be hard to manage, but I was having no idea what I was even wishing to say.

"I was wondering if there was anything that you liked to do when you are at the school. I would like to know what you guys are into." I said, and then after I was saying that to them, they were both looking like they were just kind of unsure of what the heck they were even going to happen. "I mean, I am stuck here, and I am going to want to try and make the most of it that I could." I was rubbing my chin a bit, thinking that I needed to find something else to say. To get her to think that this was going to be worth having the discussion over.

"Well, I mean, aside from my friend groups and stuff, I doubt that there was anything that you might be interested in. I think that you might just have to get used to hanging out with people who are going to have a bunch of different interests and stuff." After she was saying that to me, I was nodding, as if there was no need to tell me that twice, and that was when I would take the next turn of the conversation.

"Yeah, I saw that one guy who looks like he is trying to be a elf. I think that he is a bit strange, but I was wondering if there were more people in the town who were like this." I said, and then after I was saying that to Dana, I was seeing her looking like she was finding that guy to be funny, and was glad that I had noticed him, and I was wondering why she was caring about that so much in the first place.

"Is he the only person who looks and acts really strange?" I asked, and then after I had asked her this, she was shrugging, as if she was thinking that something like this was entirely subjective. But at the same time, I was seeing her looking like she would just try her best to answer my question, even if it were not to actually work out.

"He is the only person that goes to the school that is like that. This being said, there are other people in the school who are probably not exactly normal by the standards of different towns and stuff. I think that you might be able to know who exactly I am talking about soon enough, when you start to get to know them a bit more, and you see what is really going on here." After she had said that to me, I was then looking down, thinking that this was going to be a rather interesting life to go on through, if I was going to actually learn what they were like.

After that had happened, I was just looking through the hallways of the school, just trying to see if I could be able to find the people who she was talking about. If there was a way to call out somebody who I was able to see was just totally bonkers, and then I would be able to head along, and just go along with the school day normally after that.

"Well, I think that I will get to know them soon enough. I am not going to be too worried about it right now then." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was wondering what she was even going to be saying to this. If she was even going to find a way to care too much about what we were talking about anyways. I thought that if she were sane, she would find a way to pull out of this conversation, and let people just be doing their own thing.

"Yeah, I am not going to be bothering you too much about it. I mean, if you really care who these people are so much, you will probably meet them anyways. I think that we just need to actually get to class though. You know, not to be late on our very first day and stuff." After she said that, I was nodding, thinking that while being late was not the worst thing in the world, doing so on the very first fucking day of the school year was going to be a bit over the top. If it was a week or two down the line, then that would have been one thing, but for now, I needed to at least put in some effort to the matter.

As we were starting to go up the stairs, Kevin was thinking of another talking point that he was going to be able to make here. In order to make it seem like we were going to have something to discuss. "Hey, are you going to be going to Mrs Jewls class? She is my teacher, but she is all the way up on the top floor of the school." After he said that to me, I was sighing, because I did not want to go up to the top of the school, to deal with class lessons, and I was going to go on and get a different class room or something, to make this not work.

"Yeah, that is where I am having my class. I really don't want to be forced to the top floor of this damn place. That sounds awful. Who the hell was even thinking that it was a great idea to have a school this big?" I asked, as we were getting to the third floor, and I was feeling like as long as I was just not thinking about it, getting to the top one would not be so bad. But that did not mean that we should have been dealing with something like this in the first place, which I can confirm that we most certainly should not have. I was just telling myself that I would get it over with, and not think too much on it.

As we were starting to get higher up on the school, that was when I was stopped. When I was stopped, that was when I was looking at Kevin and Dana. "You can go now. I don't want you to be late for class." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing them looking confused for a moment. Why I was just leaving them be. But at the same time, they knew they needed to go to class again.

"Just don't be too late. Because you really don't want to be getting in trouble on your first day here." After Jenny said that to me, I was seeing them go up the stairs, and then I was just looking and I saw that there was a girl wearing read coming towards me. As she was walking to me, I was telling myself that I would just listen to her, and see what she was even wanting to say. But at the same time, a part of me was just wishing that this conversation would never have to be happening in the first place.

As she was looking at me, she was looking like she would just see what was going on in my mind. "Hey, are you new to the school?" She asked me, and she was sounding like she was already having a thing for me. I was thinking that she needed to at least talk with me for a bit before she was already jumping to the idea that I was like hot or something. She was going to be greatly left down if she was already going to be thinking that I was cool.

"Well, yeah this is my first day here. I don't really know what to be thinking about it though." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she had wanted to say more. She was clearly wanting to make this conversation go on for a while, but at the same time, I just felt like I was going to have to try harder to find something that can keep them feeling better.

"I hope that you get to love it here. I think that I am going to do my best to make sure that you enjoy this place." After she had said that, she was coming closer to me, and then I was looking down at the down stairs, and that if I fell down, I was probably going to die. Then I was looking at her, and then I was starting to slowly nod, feeling like if she were to stay here, then I was only going to be feeling like she was taking this too far.

"Yeah, I will probably love it eventually. I just need to get used to this place. I will be fine. I think that I really do need to get on to class though. You know, not want to deal with the teachers getting in my business about the fact that I would be late on my very first day or anything." I said, shrugging it off, thinking that if I was going to be able to get her to relax on this, then she would be able to see where I had been coming from.

"You're right. I shouldn't be making too much of a hassle out of this whole thing either." After she had said that to me, I was then starting to head on up the stairs, but then she was following me a bit, needing to know who I was or something, that way she would be able to feel like she knew how to get to know me and stuff.

"What is your name anyways? My name is Maurecia." After she had said that to me, I was then sighing, thinking that she just needed to stop with this whole thing, and then after she was going to be leaving me alone, then I would feel more open with speaking to her. But for the time being, I felt like I was just being a bit of a bit rough on her, and that I needed to try and be polite with him at least, and not make things too awful.

"My name is Todd. I just got here a couple of days ago, so I did not really have any time to really relax and get to make any friends before the school year started or anything. I just wish that I could be able to hang out with somebody who would be able to make me feel like I could be able to actually adjust to this place easily." I said, and then after I had said that, I was just wanting to see what she was going to actually suggest, and if she was going to try and find a way to drag me into this.

"I could try and help you out. If you are willing to give it a go." After she had said that to me, I was unsure of what the hell I was even going to say to her here. I was thinking that my comments were not going to be making any difference. She was thinking that maybe she had gone too far, and I was feeling like maybe I needed to try and make her feel better about this.

"Well, if you want to hang out or something, then I guess that maybe we can see how it would work." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was just trying to say that to make her feel better about this. But at the same time, I was just seeing her looking really happy that I was suggesting something like this to her. It made her feel like maybe she was actually going to be friends with a guy that was really hot in her eyes.

"Thanks for the offer. I was worried that you were just going to be acting like that would be a terrible before you would even give it a chance." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to see what I was going to be saying to that idea. If I was going to try and find a way to argue with her, or if deep down, I was going to be aware of the fact that she was probably right on this.

"I wonder what my parents would be thinking of the idea of a million people wanting to hang out with me all the time or something. I think that they might be shocked on something like this happening out of the blue." I said, and then after I was saying that to Maurecia, I was then thinking that once we were to hang out, and see each other, it was not going to be too bad, but I just did not know if I was really ready for something like this quite yet. I was just feeling like I was going to be sort of unsure of what anybody was going to even want to say to this whole thing.

"They will probably be excited that you are actually doing something that isn't staying around after school every day. I doubt that they are going to be making a case about you actually going out and being with some people who would actually be interested in seeing you." After she had said that to me, I was then thinking about that a bit, thinking about what she was going to say now. I was still feeling unsure, but I did not want to sound like I was too sure on everything right now.

"Yeah, you are probably right. And if they are going to be making a big deal out of this, then I guess that I will just never be able to understand what the beef really is. But I think that I should not be making a huge deal out of it or anything." I said, and then I was just sort of feeling like the longer that I would be thinking about it, the less that it was going to be feeling good. I just wish that I was going to actually know what I was setting myself up for.

"Well, I hope that they are going to like me at least. I mean, if they are not going to be a huge fan of me, then I would think that this is going to be all that fun. I doubt that they are going to be hating me right away though. I think that they would want to see what I am like first." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was sounding a bit worried of how I was doing. But I did not think that it was going to be all that huge of a matter in all honesty.

Eventually, I was going up the stairs, to get to class. Once I was at the class door, I was looking at the teacher who was sitting down, getting ready to teach us. I was shaking my head like a prep, and then I was just focusing on the school year that I was going to be having now. I was then just opening up the door, just thinking that once inside, I was going to be fine. I was thinking that there was virtually no reason to be too worried about anything happening on around me.

I went inside, and saw that there was only one chair left. I was thinking that this would be the one that I would have to go to, so I was walking there, and sat down, ready for the lesson, just to be getting it over with, and then I could be able to go along and say that at least the first day of the school year was over. If that one day was going to even be making any difference, and if it was going to be considered impressive at all.

The teacher was looking right at us, just looking like she was wanting to see how she was going to be able to judge us all from the looks on our face. She was clearly thinking that there was a sort of personality that we all had that she had taught for long periods of time, and that she would probably be used to. I was then thinking that if she had wanted to talk with us more, she was going to need to not be like this, and just be more open to things like the lesson and stuff, but I decided not to be saying anything about it.

"Well, welcome to the first day of your seventh grade school year. I hope that you all had a great summer break. I want you to have a great and fun year, and that nothing too wrong happens here." After she had said that to us, I was looking confused, wondering why she was even caring at all if we were going to enjoy this year or not. I mean, if we did not, then it was really not going to be all that big of a deal, and she would probably not even care.

"My name is Mrs Jewls. I will be your teacher this year, and I want to get to see you all have a great year, and excel in your academics." After she had said that to all of us, she was clearly looking like she had a sense of hope in the school year. She was clearly looking like she was trying too hard to this whole thing. She was just wanting to make us all feel like we should be welcome here, but at the same time, I did not really know what to say now.

"This is not my first year teaching here. I have been teaching here for a couple of years by this point. Every year the students at my class seem to be really enjoying my lessons. I am just trying to be a nice teacher who respects all of my teachers, and love to hang out with us. I never want to make you guys feel like you are inferior to me just because you are my students." After she had said that to us, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more, but that she had felt like there was probably no need to continue with this whole thing. I was just feeling like the more that she was speaking to us, the more that she was going to be able to make me feel like I was actually a student that she was going to be able to respect in a way.

"What made you get into teaching anyways?" Dana asked, and I was unsure of how to feel that we did not even have a few minutes of the class period before she was already asking a bunch of questions. I felt like if she was going to be this type of student, then the year of hanging out with her was going to make me have no chance of having any popularity. I mean, I did not really think that popularity even mattered. But at that time, when I was younger, and did not really understand what was actually important, I was one of those people who tried really hard to have something like this happen.

"Well, I knew that I liked helping people out, and when I saw that teaching could be able to help you guys out, and make you sort of understand what expectations of life are ahead, I figured that I could be able to do that just fine. I felt like I was going to be able to really accomplish things." After she had said that to Dana, she was wondering what Dana would be saying to this. And she was looking like she was having no real interest in saying anything else. "I mean, I think you guys all have something you want to do, and when we teach you, we try to make sure you are all ready for something like this."

"So when I realized how much both of us could be able to help each other out on our various interests, I decided that I would try and get into teaching. I had hoped that I could be able to make something work out." After she had said that, she was looking at her empty desk, and she was thinking that this exposition dump was just going to be a bit pointless now. That she did not really need to continue to speak any longer on this.

"Do you regret becoming a teacher? Do you ever feel like you could have been able to turn back, and not deal with that again?" I asked, and I was hoping that she was not going to be too confused at the fact that the guy in the last row on the right corner was speaking to her. That she was not going to be thinking that it was odd that I was the one of all people who was trying to speak to her on this issue.

"No, I don't regret ever becoming a teacher. But I do wish sometimes that I could take a day or two off. You know, because teacher is something that can be rather hard if you aren't really fully ready for it." After she had said that to me, I was glad to hear that she was giving me a real answer, and that she was not just saying something to be making us feel better. She was feeling like as long as we did not have any real discussion, she was going to be sort of detached from the point that she was trying to be making earlier, with her wanting to be open with us.

"But when we are here for the school year, there are several things that we are going to be going through in our lessons. Some of them might be kind of hard, and some will be rather easier. I think that over time, you will probably see that these lessons are not going to be too rough. All you have to do is pretty much just make sure that you pay attention to the lectures." After she had said that, I was seeing her looking less and less like she was wanting to actually be doing the lessons, and that she was more and more wanting to just see how we were doing, and get to know us as people.

"I have no intention of teaching you guys anything that you are not really ready to handle though. I think that you will see that you are going to be able to manage almost all of my classes. Because even if you are supposed to learn a bunch of material, we have to go at a pace that can make people feel more like they can handle what is being presented to them" When she was finished, she was standing up again. I was then wondering why she sat down, if she was going to stand up again.

"Besides, I think that if I teach you anything that you are not ready to handle, then I think that there was going to be no real point in trying to teach at all. Then all the words would just be brushed off, and then none of us learned anything at all." After she had said that, she was feeling like what she had said was making total sense. But I was thinking that maybe she was not giving herself enough credit.

The rest of the class period went by normally. Just her trying to tell us the standards that she was having for us at the class, and trying to make us understand what the hell we were doing. I was sort of bored, and to be honest, I was barely paying attention to what she was saying. I was thinking that maybe she was just wanting to get us to understand that she was the boss, and that we were supposed to be respectful to her. But at the same time, I was just trying to get through the next day, and then be done with this whole thing. So I could be able to go to lunch or something like that.

I was happy again when I was seeing the bell ring for the class to end, which would mean that there was a short break. As the break had started, that was when Dana was coming up to me, to probably try and get me to see how this was making Jewls ever so awesome and stuff. I was feeling like I might as well just see what her argument was going to be, that way I would be able to try and see what was so great about this whole thing.

"She is really nice to all of her students. Is very polite to our teaching needs." After she was telling me this, I was looking at her, as if just thinking that maybe I needed to try and see her perspective. To try and see how she was able to love this class anyways. I mean, she was not a awful teacher or anything, but it was not like she was blowing me away or anything like that quite yet.

"Yeah, I guess that I can see how something like that might be very important. I mean, as long as she does not say anything too rude or do anything too awful, then I think that everything is going to be fine." I said, and then after I had said that to Dana, I was then thinking of another thing that I could be able to say here. "Hey Dana, are you and Kevin like really good friends, or do you just kind of chill around with him?"

"We're just friends, as far as I am concerned. I mean, he is a nice guy, but I doubt that he would be somebody who would call me much more than just a casual friend and stuff. Which I guess is fine. But I mean, I am wondering why do you care so much about that stuff? I mean, he is alright enough." After she had said that to me, I was holding my hand in a mildly defensive way, trying to get her to relax, and not be going at me as if like I had done something wrong or anything.

"I was just curious. I mean, I thought that you would have wanted me to show some interest in the type of things that you are doing anyways, so I figured that I would just try and see how it was all for you." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was willing to relax, and not be getting on my case too badly about it anymore.

"Fine, I guess that you were not really trying to be too much of a bother with it all. And you are right, I am glad that you are trying to see how I am doing and stuff. It makes me feel like you care." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like there was a level of joy that she had when she was considering the fact that I was actually trying to be polite to her in this way.

"I mean, I think that if you have any other friends that you would like me to meet, then I might as well see what they are like." I said, and then I was thinking about what I was setting myself up for. If she was actually going to be accepting my offer, or if she was going to tell me to go away. I was seeing her looking like she was a bit conflicted on this.

"Well, I do have somebody who I am really good friends with. But I don't know if you would really be interested in getting to know him yet or not. But if you want to try, then I can show him to you, and then you can decide if you like him." After she said that, she was shrugging, thinking about how there was nothing wrong with at least trying, and she was sort of hoping that I would actually like the idea of hanging out with this person, and not be protesting it too much.

"I would not mind meeting them." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing Dana looking like after she had heard me say this, she was just glad that I was giving whoever this person was a chance after all. "I am more curious to know if you think that this person would actually like hanging out with me, or just be thinking that this would be a waste of their time." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was thinking that I was just acting oddly around this whole thing. She was clearly thinking that maybe I was needing to not be so worried about things that were clearly not that big of a deal, or she was feeling like they were not that big of a deal.

"I think that you need to relax. He is not a guy who is all that rough with his standards. Sure he wants to be popular at school, but that is not all that bad. I think that most people have some desire to be popular in school after all." After Dana was saying this to me, I was just seeing her looking like she was curious to be hearing my statement. "I mean, I think that the idea of being popular is just something that most people sort of hope for when they try to go to a new school, or go around and get new friends. So I think that it could be a bit hypocritical to judge somebody for doing the same."

"Dana, you can relax. You made your point. You do not need to be going on about it anymore." I said, and then after I was saying this to her, I was seeing her looking like she was just utterly glad to be hearing me say that. That I was not trying to be making a fight out of this or anything. I was then thinking about life now. I was thinking about what I would do when I would try to meet this guy, and what I was going to be saying to him to make him feel like he would want to listen to me or anything like that.

"I'm sorry, I just get riled up when everybody holds him to some form of a different standards just simply because he is more open about what he does with hos type of personality. But I know that you probably are not really trying to make anything out of it now. I think that maybe you are somebody who would want to at least meet somebody before you judge them too heavily." After she was saying that to me, I was slowly nodding, as if feeling like she was right to this statement. I was then thinking about what I was going to be saying now. If there was any need to talk on about this here now.

"I would not be too worried about it. I think that you are great for standing up to somebody that you like to hang out with. Shows that you have some level of standards for people, and that you are willing to be able to defend the people who you care about. I have no problem with you doing something like that." I said, and then I was smiling at this, wondering what she was going to be saying to this. I was seeing her looking like she had wanted to say more, but that she was just going to be cool with the praise that I had just given her at that moment.

"Thanks for understanding me. I think that it is great that somebody is being nice about it at least." After she had said that to me, I was wondering what we were even going to be talking about now, and what there was to speak of. I was feeling like maybe we had already talked about everything with this guy. We walked out, and literally like a minute or two later, a guy was coming to us and I would later learn who this was.

When the guy had walked up to us, he was smiling, and acting like seeing Dana was the most radical thing in the whole fucking world. I was thinking to myself right away that this was the friend that Dana had been speaking of. But I was wondering who this guy even was, and what type of behavior he would have to have in order to make Dana like hanging out with him in the first place. But I was thinking that I was going to just keep this commentary to myself to make her not mad at the way I would treat him or anything like that.

"Hey Dana, what do you think of our teacher so far?" After he had asked that to us, he was looking right at me, and then he was holding his hand out, trying to be as polite as possible. Although I had no idea if he was just pretending to be polite, or if he was legitimately a nice guy and stuff, and I was feeling like I would like to give him a chance to prove himself here.

"My name is Myron. I have been here since second grade. Are you enjoying your first day so far?" After Myron had asked me this, I was nodding, thinking that maybe I should be giving him a chance, considering the fact that he was not being a total dick to me, and he was at least looking like he was having some interest in seeing what I was thinking, so I decided that the very least that I could do was just talk with him for a while, and see what I could do to get to be on his good side.

"Well, I think this place is a bit strange to be honest. I guess that maybe I just have to get used to this place first. Not that it is all that bad of a school so far. I just feel like it is a lot to be taking in and stuff." After I had said that to him, I was wondering if he was going to try and have something to say, or if he was actually going to be seeing where I was coming from.

"I get where you are coming from. I mean, all the new comers talk about what it is like to be here for the first time. Like Kevin is only on his second year here, and on his first time at this place, he was clearly looking like he was unsure of what to think of this place either. I think that you will be fine with it soon enough. Just give it some time, and soon enough, you will forget what it was even like to be at a different school." I was hoping that he was telling the truth when he was saying that, since while I was not like in love with this place so far, I would rather have anything over thinking about the previous place. Which was the main reason that I had not protested to moving here in the first place, was to get out of there.

"Well, I think that you better be right. I mean, this town better be able to get my mind off of the previous place that I had lived at. I would really not want to be thinking about that place anymore. It kind of ruins everything that I had been wishing for in a town and stuff." I said, and I knew that I was sounding over the top, and I was quite frankly not even caring what they were thinking of what I had said there, since I just would rather not be dealing with that place.

"I think that you will see that I would not lie to you once you are used to this place. I think that when you get to see how everybody is pretty much a nice person, and has no problems clicking in with regular people, you will see that the only thing that is strange about it is the fact that people just do stuff that is a bit out of standards at first. I think that people might just be put off also by how much we love our school." After he was saying that to me, I was wondering if he was even believing in this, or if he was just saying this to get me to believe that this place was not so bad, when I said to him I got it.

"I think that maybe my parents would be glad that at least you guys are not rude or anything. I think that maybe this was what they were mostly worried about. You know, if you guys were going to act like normal people and stuff. I think that they don't need to worry about anything like that anymore though." I said, and I was truly feeling like when I would get him to open up a bit more, I would finally be able to see what was even keeping this town going together.

"Your parents are just trying to find something to do to make sure that you don't have any problems with this place or anything. I mean, if I moved to a new place, I think that my parents are going to want to try and make sure that nothing like this was happening to me either." After he had said that to Dana and I, I was thinking that maybe we were just sort of off on our own here. I mean, the break was almost over, and I was wondering what we were even going to be doing when the next break would occur, and what I was even going to be saying to my parents about this place so far anyways.

"I guess that there is some truth to that. I mean, my parents do like the idea of having me have a good time at this town and stuff. I think that they are just worried that I actually liked where I had lived previously, and don't to make things worse here. I think that they might be insane, and that they are going to need to learn the truth that this is already a thousand times better just by the first few days that I had here." I said, and then after I was done with that, I had been feeling like I was sort of going to be liking this damn place, even if the whole thing was just a bit off for me at that moment.

"I am going to be curious to see what you hated about your original town in the first place. I mean, you seem to really hate that place. I don't know though. I think that you just are really opening my mind up to this." After Myron was saying that to me, I was sort of feeling like I was bored out of my mind at that rate. I mean, I was just needing to get the school day over with, and pretend like this whole thing was not really bothering me too much at this rate.

"Well, guys I think that we need to get back to class. You know, not to be making things any worse for us. I think that if we show up late to the second class period of the school year, they are going to probably get in our case, and everything is just going to be feeling like it was a waste of time, and not even worth it." After Dana was saying that to me, I was just then thinking about the fact that at least she was just trying to solve things with normal conversation, for the sake of making things seem normal and all of that stuff. I was just thinking that maybe my parents would not care too much, but I had no idea what the heck Dana and Myron's parents were going to be like, and I was thinking about them more.

"If you guys want to talk about this more, then maybe we can hang out at lunch or something. I think that I am going to try and get to really know everybody at this school first. You know, see if they are going to actually enjoy hanging out with me and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was then wondering what the heck was even going on at this rate. I was feeling like the school year was going to be a good year, from the few conversations that I had been having at this rate, and I was just thinking that I truly needed to get to know everybody here as well as I could.

If I were to talk about every single class period, you would probably be bored out of your ever loving mind, so I am not going to be doing anything like that to you. I think that maybe you are probably getting the point right now. The day was mostly fine enough, but when we got to lunch the next day, that was when the day started to get a slight bit more interesting. I was down at the cafeteria, and I was sitting down with Kevin that day, and he decided that he was going to be giving me the all too trite talk about how the first day so far at that far.

"Hey, how are you enjoying school day so far. I mean, the teacher seems nice at least. If for nothing else, at least she is not trying to act like she is better than everybody else who is around her. I would hate it if she was like that. I mean, every damn teacher is like that. You know, not even pretending to hide the fact that they feel like they are superior to us. I mean, I guess that it is none of my business. But I just really do hate it when that happens." After Kevin had said that, he was looking right at me, and he was looking like he really needed to see what I was going to say.

"I mean, it is fine enough. The teacher is nice at least, like you were saying. I just hope that they are not going to be getting much worse about this over the year. If she was like that, then I would feel really bad about this." I said, and then after I was done saying that to Kevin, I was wondering what else I was even wanting to say at this point. I just felt like if I was going to try and get Kevin to discuss with me more openly, then it would be all fine and dandy.

"I just think if I were to tell my brother about it, he might not believe that the teacher is actually being nice, and he would probably be telling me that I was just in a bright idea of thinking that nothing could go wrong." After he was saying that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was a bit annoyed. He was clearly hating the idea of his brother trying to ruin something that he was actually kind of enjoying so far.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, he is probably just going to try and ruin what you are having so far. I think that maybe he just does not have a very good opinion of this place." I said, and then that was when Kevin was shaking his head. As if he was feeling like that would have been too simple of an answer, and that this would have just made things too easy to understand.

"I think that this would not really make much sense. I mean, he seems to not really have anything against his own school or anything. I think that there is a good chance that something else might be happening here, and I think that maybe I need to just see what is going on there." After Kevin said that, he was shrugging, as if thinking that there was not going to be much that he was going to truly get out of this.

"Maybe there is some conflict that is going on, and that when you see what that conflict is, that would all come together. I think that there must be something here. But I know that it is not my business, and I am just thinking too deeply into something that is none of my concern." I said, and then after I had said that, I felt like what I had said was a relatively valid statement, and I was just thinking about what I was even saying at this point.

"I think that my brother is probably fine. I think that he is going to be just off doing his own thing. I am not too worried about anything like that for the time being." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to find something that can keep him together. "I mean, I guess that it is not that big of a deal what people tell me. My brother probably just does not even like me right now. I think my brother actually hates me if I am being honest with you. Like I think that he just does not like me in his life. Which honestly really sucks to be thinking of."

"I am guessing that the two of you are just going to find a way to be at conflict with each other no matter what is going on. I think that something like that could be really damn annoying to deal with." I said, and then I was thinking about what I had said at that point. I was seeing that Kevin was looking like he was just wanting to say more, but at the same time, just felt like there was no real need to do this.

"I think that my brother just does not want me to get involved with things that I can't handle. He is that type of guy. Always acting like I am doing shit that is over the top. I mean, I guess that he might be right here. But I do not want him to say such a thing to me about the whole thing." Kevin was saying to me, and I was seeing that he was truly looking like he was wanting to say more here, but that if he we were to say more, he was just feeling like he was going to be like a broken record in his own way.

"He probably doesn't really mind you. I think that maybe he just has a strange way of showing his feelings. I mean, he is probably a guy who just wants to be on his own, without having people worry about him at all. I doubt that he is really too worried about if you are hanging out with some people like me or anything. Not that it really matters though." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Kevin looking like he was just not really wanting to have too much else to be saying to this now.

"I hope that you are right. But I just don't know what to be feeling. I just have a feeling that something is going to be happening soon, and that is something that I will never be ready for, even if I wished too. But what does it even matter what he thinks to you? I think that he will probably just brush you off if you were to ever meet him." After he had said that to me, he was then looking down at his food once again.

"I don't really think we need to be talking about your brother. I mean, I think he would probably find it find of strange if he found out that we were talking about him and stuff." After I was saying that to him, I saw him looking like he was just wanting to try and find something to say to justify talking about this, but I think even he knew that there was no real reason to be discussing this in the first place either.

"Yeah, you are probably right. I think talking about Sam might not really be accomplish anything anyways. I am curious to know what you are planning on doing after school is over. If you are even having any plans here." After he had said that, I was seeing him clearly looking a bit interested. "I was wondering if you would like to be hanging out sometime soon, and if you would be cool with that."

"I think that we will probably be able to hang out a bit soon enough. I think that I can be able to find a day that we can do it that we can both have. I just don't know when something like this will happen though. If my parents are ever going to be able to give me a calm day or anything like that." I was just shrugging, and then I was thinking about what I was doing now. I was thinking that maybe if I did not say anything else, I was not going to be getting much out of it anymore. But before we would be able to say anything else, that was when there was a girl coming towards us. Not Dana or Maurecia, and I was seeing her looking like she was kind of excited to be seeing me for some reason.

"Hey, I saw you at class earlier today, and I was wondering how you were doing right now." She said, and then I was sighing, getting extremely annoyed with the fact that I had been here for like a couple of hours, and I had been asked the same damn question over and over again, and it was just starting to feel a bit annoying. I was just tired of people always asking me the same damn thing.

"It's alright. What is your name?" I asked, wondering what she was going to say. I was not really even wanting to bother with people just wanting to know how I was doing at school or anything like that. I was just sort of tired of these questions, and I had really wanted her to just fucking stop. But I was thinking that I should keep the comments to myself. "I'm Todd, if you don't really know that right now."

"My name is Jenny. I was just curious if you were liking this school so far. I mean, everybody talks about how odd coming here for the first time is and stuff. I think that you would probably be feeling the same. I have been here for three years now, and I guess that I can sort of understand what people are thinking when they first see this place anyways." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to find something to say. But I did not really want to say anything else to the matter, since I had been talking about this over and over again.

"Well, I don't know. I was wondering if there was some fun activities going on at the school or something. You know, just to find something that can give me some pass time over time." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I saw Jenny look like she was wanting to talk more about this now. She was nodding, as if feeling like she was going to finally have a fun idea, and that this was something that I might actually really enjoy.

"I don't know if you might be interested in it yet, but there is a party that is coming up soon. I think that you might be really excited for that. The party is a Halloween one. I mean, it is going to be in two months from now, but I think that you might be enjoying the idea of checking it out. It does also celebrate the idea of being one fourth of the way through the school year." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like this was something that actually really excited her, and I was wondering what it was like that made her feel so happy.

"How often do events happen here? You know, things that are going to give the school some form of a life? I would be really interested in knowing what is available." I said, and then after I had asked her question, she was shrugging, as if thinking that there really was some stuff, but that she was probably not sure if it was going to be anything that would interest me. "I mean, I am most likely at least willing to try it."

"There is usually an after school event once every month or so. I think that the first one is coming up in a couple of weeks. I think that you will probably enjoy it well enough." After Jenny was saying this to me, I was feeling like I was going to have something to be going with here. I was thinking that maybe this was all that I finally needed to get what I had wanted. I was going to actually have something to give me some motivation to go through the weeks.

"Usually it is stuff like school dances, or just parties that are being thrown. It is nothing too much, but I think that you will be finding something in there that you will like." After Kevin had said that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was wildly curious to see what I was actually going to be saying now. I was feeling like I was going to want to see what these were going to be like. I just wanted to see if I could enjoy them, and it was all that I was really thinking about.

"Well, I am feeling like I have that to be looking forward to. Just want to see what I can do here, and see if perhaps my parents would want me to try something like that." I said, and then after I was saying this, I was not too sure what the heck was going to be done. I felt like I was going to need to just get one of these events over with.

"I guess that you are already adapting to being here after all. You just need to see that hanging out at this place might not be too bad after all." After Jenny was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say something else, but decided that she was going to not be saying anything at the time being.

"I am not sure if I would say that I am adapting or anything like that. But I certainly don't hate being here so far. I think that I am going to be fine with being here after all." I said, and then I was starting to think about what I would even be doing now. I was wondering what the heck I was going to do to hold me over. "I mean, if these events are fun and stuff, then I guess that I can have something to be looking forward to every day when I come here. To get one day closer to what I am excited for, this monthly event. Do you enjoy doing things like this?"

"I mean, they are fun in their own way. But I am not too invested by it all. I think that you will probably love it though." After Jenny said that, she was looking like she was glad to be seeing me looking like she was actually seeing me looking as if I was starting to enjoy something about being here." I was then thinking that this was going to be a good enough explanation, and that I was going to be sort of in their same spot. I did actually want to do this.

"Well, I guess that I won't be talking about it too much. I mean, I don't want to get too annoying about it or anything. I just am kind of excited to be seeing how something like this can go." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was then thinking about what she was actually saying. I did not really know what I was going to be doing, and that was all that I knew. I was just telling myself that this was my life and the choices, and the stuff that I could do would be just fine.

But then after I had felt that way, I was shrugging, thinking about what to be doing now. "What are some things you like to do when you leave school every day?" I asked her, and then I was seeing Jenny looking like she had no real idea of what to say here. She was clearly thinking that my question was a bit sudden, and was one that she did not really know how to respond with. She was looking like maybe she was just never going to have a answer that she was too into.

"Well, I just kind to go and ride my bike for a long period of time. I want to be the best rider in the school. Besides, even without that, it is just a lot of fun, and I really enjoy doing that type of stuff." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she had hoped that this comment was going to make an actual impression on me. I was thinking that as long as she enjoyed this, then I had no real idea of what to say.

"I never thought that there was anybody like you who would be into something like that. I guess that it does not really matter." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was wondering what the heck she even did to get into something like that in the first place. I was feeling like I just was not going to get any real concrete answer to what was interesting to her? "I mean, I just think that something like this might be a bit strange. But I guess that it does not really matter, if that is what you are honestly into."

"Well, I mean, I know that it is kind of strange. But I always feel like I am at the top of the world when I am going out and doing it. It makes me feel like I am actually able to enjoy my life for once. That is something that I always really like. To actually go out there, and do something that I feel like really keeps me enjoying myself on a constant basis." After Jenny had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was interested in seeing what I was going to be saying now. I had any real plans to make a response to this, or if I was just going to be leaving it alone now.

"I guess that if I end up getting interested in something, then people might be thinking that some of my interests might be odd. You know, if they do not share them with me. So I guess that I should not be speaking too much on it." I said, and then I was trying to pretend like I was all able to understand it, but I guess that in a way, I could not be able to get it at all.

"Yeah, you are starting to get it. I think that when you see where we are coming from, I think you would be able to understand it easily enough." After Jenny was saying this, she was looking like this was the start to a nice friendship. Although at the time, I had a feeling that she was probably not too interested in me or anything like that. In a way, I was totally fine with something like that. In no way did I need her to have a big interest in me or anything like that. In fact, I had a feeling that she was probably never going to feel like we were going to be anything beyond just normal friends.

"I mean, I just think that when I hang out at people at a school, and they are just sort of into their own thing, I guess that I can sort of be able to see what gives this school so many rumors. I have heard a plathera of rumors about the school, and if this day is any indication of what is to come, then I have a feeling that all of this is going to be true. Or at least a very large portion of the rumors about it." I said, then starting to think about what I had said, and I was not sure if what I had said was a good comment, or a bad comment or just simply a comment that could be considered a small observation that I had made.

Not that it would have been much of a observation I guess. But I think that most people would get what I was meaning with that. Anyways, I was then seeing both Jenny and Kevin looking a bit interested in what I had just said, and if I could be able to reveal some information to them over that. "What type of rumors are made? Which ones do you feel like are true?"

"Well, the first one turned out to be true by a complete shock for me. That the school is thirty stories high. I felt like that was the one that had no chance of being true, and then here we are. It turns out that the school is not only thirty stories high, but that the floors are really long them self, which means that this school goes like two to three hundred feet in the air." I said, and then I was laughing at that, thinking about how stupid I had sounded when I was talking about that. The fact that I had been talking about the tallest school probably in the world, and almost certainly the tallest school I would ever see in my entire life.

"Yeah, I remember when I first saw that. There was easily a form of luster to it. You know, finally seeing that there is some level of truth to that. But once you get over it, that does not really make you too shocked anymore. I think that you just probably could never imagine how tall a school is until you see something like that." After she had said that to me, I was then nodding, as if thinking that we could be able to agree on that at least. You know, since that was just the one thing that I would never even dream of being close to being the truth.

"I also feel like the rumor that everything at this school is a bit strange is also very true. I mean, I have never once in my life expected to see a guy who was dressed as a elf on the first day of school, almost two months in advance. I also did not know that I was going to be meeting a girl who was really into the art of riding the bike. I guess that I just seem like a normal guy. And when you have a school of like all of these personalities, even being normal if a quirk of its own." I said, thinking about how strange that thought set really was.

"Well, I think that when you say it like that, then yeah you're right. Even in your own way, you are a interesting and crazy fellow. When you are the only normal one in a school full of crazy people, then you suddenly stop sounding normal, and you might start sounding like the crazy one. I don't know how you feel about that." After she was saying that to me, I was then looking at Kevin, wanting to see if he was going to argue that he was also normal. But I decided not to be saying anything about it for the time being, since he was truth be told less strange than a lot of them.

"I mean, I think that maybe I should not be so rude about it then when I think about the fact that virtually every single persona round me is already kind of a crazy person anyways. But I thin that maybe I am just having a hard time really settling into this type of life style." I said, and then after I was saying that to the two of them, I was then thinking about Kevin again, and something else that I could say about him that would not feel like I was forcing any conversation about him or anything else.

"Well, have you guys been hanging out in the past before?" I asked, and then after I asked that question, I felt like this was a valid one, and I was feeling like maybe the two of them were going to try and act like this had never happened, or something. I did not really know what I was going to be expecting in all honesty.

"We talked probably two or three times. I mean, I don't really now if either one of us would consider each other to be friends, but she is cool enough on the times we have talked." After Kevin said that, he was sounding like he was being truthful enough to this, and that when she was looking at him, and saw him looking better about this whole thing, Kevin was thinking about what else he was going to actually do now.

"Do you guys seem to ever have a interest in going out to hang out?" I asked, and while I did not think of anything to say here, I was thinking that maybe I could try and get them to be friends or something like that. Maybe I would be able to get them to see that they were going to be able to hang out, and that they were going to start to connect with me in that own way as well. I mean, I did not know if it was going to work, but I just wanted to see how it could work.

"Well, I mean, I guess that I would not be too against it. I guess that it is all a matter of if he would want to hang out with me or anything like that." After Jenny said that, I was seeing her looking down, almost like she did not want to be thinking about that too much, in the fear that she was going to come off as too embarrassed by something like this. I was wondering if maybe she had a think for him or not, and then when I was seeing that, this was when I was feeling like I could be able to really make this whole thing work. That I would be able to find a way to get them to get along.

"If that is something that you are going to be fine with, then I guess that maybe we can go and give it a try." After Kevin said that, I was smiling, thinking that just in one day here, I was already going to be making things better for the town. I was aware that maybe in a way, going to Wayside was something that was meant for me after all. That I should be able to start to embrace it rather than just push it away. When I had been thinking of that, I was sort of wondering what was going to happen now.

"So what do you think will be a good first way to hang out? You know, outside of this discussion." After I had said that to them, I was really hoping that she was going to be all fine and cool with the fact that I had been setting this whole thing up. I was really hoping that if I did not get them to actually like this, then everything that I was doing was going to be a bit of a fucking lost cause. I just wanted to see if I could be able to get them to actually want to hang out with me outside or school or something like that.

"I don't know, maybe I can show you my house. Or we could just hang out after school some time. I mean, I think that either one of these would be fun. If I go to your house, then nobody in my family would dare to let down the fact that I would be hanging out with a girl at her house. They would be making fun of me for the rest of my life." Kevin said, and then after he had said that, he was wondering if Jenny was going to find some slight amusement out of that.

"I guess that this might be true. But if I go to your place, then they are going to be really on my case about hanging out at a boys house that they don't even know yet. I think that they might be getting a bit excited, and act like they were right in their fears or something silly like that." After she had said that to Kevin, both of them were thinking about how hard something like this might actually be, but both of them were looking like they were thinking that something like this would be worth it.

"Well, then I think that maybe just hanging out at school after the day is over will be fine. I think that once you guys have hung around for a while, then they might not care that much. But I don't know what will have to be done to get them to start to relax on this whole thing a bit more until then." I said, and before I could think about it anymore, the bell rang, and it was time to go back to class, and I was thinking that I could just get the rest of the day over with.

As the rest of the day was passing, I was just only half paying attention to what Jewls was saying. I mean, I did not really care all that much, and after the first class or two, I was feeling like I could not even pretend to care. I was just sort of wanting to get it over with, and be done with the lecture. I mean, I knew that the way that I was looking at it was not all that stellar, but I could not help it too much at that moment. The whole thing was just fucking boring.

Besides, I was thinking about how I was going to have a chance to be able to make that friendship with Kevin and Jenny work. I mean, I had no real reason to be doing such a thing, but I was feeling like their friendship was going to be something that could be able to truly make this whole set up interesting. Something that could actually get more of a true adventure when I was at school this year, and nothing too fucking boring.

I mean, I was probably not giving the school enough credit. From the bits and pieces of it that I had seen, there was no way in hell that this was going to be boring. I was thinking that it was going to actually be the exact opposite of that. I mean, holy shit, we are dealing with a school that was thirty floors tall. I mean, I was feeling like that fact alone would be something that I would think about for a very long period of time, and something that was just going to forever perplex me on how such a failure could be made, and why the school was never taken down if such a failure was made, to just try and remake it.

I was also wondering how in hell did the place get allowed to let students teach. I mean, from what I had seen, the windows were rather weak, and that if there was anything that happened, then a person was going to fall down, and then die from the top floors. In a way, the last several floors were probably actually really dangerous. I mean, I knew it did not matter much, but I could not really think of anything else to it yet.

But despite what I was thinking, I knew that I needed to actually think about something else. I was thinking that I was going to have to find a way to just not be going to sleep every class. Which I felt like was going to be a challenge, considering the fact that Jewls and her lecture style was kind of boring. Like nothing too god awful, but it wasn't really anything too exciting either. It was just something that I listened to because I felt like I had to.

I did not want to say anything about it to her, since I felt like she was too nice for me to do such a thing. She was a nice person, and I felt like she deserved something like that. I felt like there was something that was going on here, that she should have been given. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe as long as I was getting through the class periods, then everything was going to be fine. As long as I did some of the school work, then it was going to look like everything was fine. It was going to look like nobody really noticed what I had been doing.

There was something in my mind that was wondering if she did enjoy the school work. I mean, she had kept saying that she enjoyed it, and that she would like to continue this, but at the same time, I was not sure if I was truly convinced at this. I hated that about myself. The fact that I was questioning the very bare basic words of what my teachers were saying, and acting like there was a chance that she was not giving me the truth or anything like that, when there was literally no reason to think she was lying to me in a way.

I was thinking about my parents. How they were probably doing. I mean, they were probably having the time of their live, doing things with their friends at work. If they were really friends. But at the same time, I felt like there was something that was keeping them going through all of this. I was thinking that maybe they were just wanting to find a way to get people to like them, to give them a higher form of validity to being at the job.

Then there was a part of me that was thinking that I needed to not be thinking about it anymore, and that in all honesty, what they were doing, and what they were thinking was none of my damn business.

Then when the school day was finally coming to a close, that was when Maurecia was getting up, and she was coming towards me. She was clearly looking like she was wanting to see me this whole time. Like she had been waiting to have the school day finally end, and then that way the two of us could be able to hang out and talk with each other for a while. I was not super into this whole idea, but I was feeling like I just needed to at least try and be nice with her. I was feeling like she was not rude or anything, and I needed to give that to her at least.

"Hey Todd, now that the first day is over, do you feel like you are more properly adjusted to the school system and stuff?" After she was saying that to me, I was shrugging, unsure of what to say. I mean, this whole place was just strange, but I did not really hate it. I could not hate it, since I barely even knew what the place was. But so far, I was thinking that it was a decent school and that the students were not all that bad after all.

"I feel like I am sort of over the confusing lay out. I mean, I think that in a day or two, I will probably be over it. I mean, I am already kind of over it. I just felt like maybe I needed to get some time to really grow to accept the fact that the rumors were true about this place." I said, and then after I was saying that, I was just thinking about what the hell I was even going to be saying now. I was thinking that speaking more about this was not going to be making any real difference.

"So, what was the most confusing part about the lay out, from what you had seen?" After she was asking me about that, I was shrugging, feeling like what she was asking had been a valid question, and that I might as well just give her this. But at the same time, I was feeling like maybe I could not be able to really explain it to somebody who had been here since day one.

"Well, I just got over the whole thirty story thing. That was the main thing that was really getting to me. When I had gotten over that, I was just sort of getting used to everything going on, and that it was not really all that awful after all." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was wondering what the heck Maurecia was going to tell me here. If she was going to try and tell me that this was nothing strange.

"I mean, now that I have been used to it for a bit, I have to admit that the whole thirty story thing does have its charm. So I think that I will be over it soon enough." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was really hoping that she was actually thinking that it was nice that I had said that about her school.

"I mean, one way or another, better or for worse, this is just going to be where I will be spending the next several years of school at. I mean, it's really not all that bad. I am sort of over it now. I just wished that I was able to really stay here a week or two before the school year started, and if I had gotten that at least, then I think that I would have been fine enough. But that first part was just hard to get used to." I was then wondering where we were to be going from this point.

"I think that one of these days, I am going to show you all the school that I had gone to before. I mean, it is not the best place in the world, but it is better than nothing. I think that you guys might find it kind of interesting. I don't know. I think that it could be better than you expect though. And besides, it could be able to give me a chance to meet up with some of my former class mates again." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she did not quite know what she was going to be feeling here so far. The fact that I was openly offering her a chance to go on and hang with me.

"I never thought that you would be offering me to hang out with you for that long. I mean, I thought that you hated that place." Maurecia said, and then I was shrugging, just unsure of what I was even going to be saying to this, since I was thinking that she was starting to catch me a bit. But I was thinking that I could find a way out of it a bit. Even if it was meaning that I would be relatively brutally going back to those days.

"I did hate where I used to go to school. That is not going to change. That was a terrible school, and I hated going to it so damn much. But that being said, I feel like maybe it could be worth showing you guys the place. You know, to sort of help you see what I was dealing with back in the day. Maybe to let you guys understand what this place was so awful after all." After I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she had no idea what to be saying. She was looking like the comment was a bit of a shock in her eyes, and then I was thinking about how to say it in a way she would easily understand. If it even mattered all that much if she would get it too much.

"The fact is, that I did have some friends there. So even if I hated going to school there, I did have some things that I enjoyed about the place. I always liked hanging out with people who were at least sort of friendly to me, and did not treat me like utter shit for no reason. Like the only part of my life that was not just basically there to flip me off for no real good reason." I laughed, and then Maurecia was smiling at that too, glad to see that I had a sense of humor in a way.

"Hey Todd, when are you going to try and go back there? I mean, you should really do it to make peace with your life. I think that it would be a lot of fun. I really think that I should do it soon." After she had said that to me, I was shaking my head, truly unsure of what I was even going to be saying at this point. But I guess that none of this mattered at all. I think that she might just have been trying too hard to hang out with me.

"I think that I will go when I have the sources to be doing so. I think that the resources might not be able to work out too well though. I think that I have to try and be a good student before I can earn my parents trust on this whole idea of going back there." I said, and then after I was telling her this, I was seeing her looking like she was really excited at what I had just said. Like I ended up just hitting a jack pot to that.

"That is what you need. You just need to get your parents to think that you are a good student, and if you do something like that, then they will be more open to letting you go out to be with that previous set of friends. Then with that, you can be able to get to show all of us what you are interested in." After she was saying that to me, I was then nodding, feeling like maybe if for nothing else, I could be able to try and see if this could work at least one time.

"Maybe I can try that. Work as hard as I can for one term, and then see how it would turn. And if it works, then I will see how I can get there again, by my parents will, and if they are cool with it, then I will see what I can do to get them to go along with this idea of mine. But I will have to just go above and beyond now." I was then thinking about what I was going to be accomplishing with any of this material, and this dialogue. But I guess that I was just too worried over nothing really.

"I am so glad to see that you are getting along with the school now. It just seems like you needed to get along with it so far. I think that maybe you just needed to find something that can keep your ideas and your motivation going here." After she had said that to me, I was then seeing her looking like she was just wanting to find something else to be doing. You know, to keep us going, and make this whole hang out just even more exciting than it had been so far.

"Well, I will tell you that this school year is going to be very interesting. One way or another, I think that this is going to be a very exciting school year, that I just need to really go for now." I said, and then after I was done saying all of this stuff, I was just feeling like I was never going to be truly over the previous school that I had been at. This previous school was just too much for me to handle, no matter how much I would be able to think about the positive time that I had with friends and shit.

"So, how many people have you seen so far do you think are going to possibly be friends with you?" After Maurecia asked me this question, she was clearly trying to see if I was going to be considering her in that mix. I did not know why she was so worried about it, knowing that she was the one person who was probably friendly with me to a fault. But I decided not be saying anything about it since I did not want to be hurting her feelings here.

"I mean, everybody that I have talked with are pretty friendly with me. I think that they are trying their best to actually try and be cool with me, and that is the one damn thing that I need to respect here." I said, and then after I had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was just sort of glad to see that I was at least trying to be giving everybody a chance here. I was feeling like she was not giving me enough credit here, but I did not want to be saying anything like that here. I did not want her to act like I was pressing on her too hard or anything.

"I guess that I am just a bit worried about seeing a cute guy talking with me, and me not knowing how to keep myself calm and collected. It is a bit hard for me to think that I am keeping my cool enough." After she had said that to me, I was laughing, thinking about the fact that she was treating herself like this. I mean, I did not know why she was so worried about anything like that. You know, I was just thinking that maybe she was a bit too worried about this right now.

"Well, if you think that I am a cute guy, then I have no idea who you have been hanging around with all this time, because I am no real heart throb or anything like that." I said, and I was just trying to find something funny to say here. But at the same time, I was thinking that there was going to be no way that she was actually going to be listening to me here. I was thinking that surely I could detract myself enough for her to not be finding that very attractive, and then as a result, start to leave me alone that way. Although I had no idea why I wanted that so much anyways.

"I think that maybe you are probably just not aware of the guys who are around you if you are thinking that you are not all that attractive." After Maurecia had said that, I was shrugging, as if thinking that maybe she did have a point there, considering the fact that the other people who were in the school were not all that exciting.

"I have to admit that maybe you are onto something here. I mean, I am guessing that you do not really find Myron to be all that attractive." I said, and I was sort of feeling bad talking like this about somebody who was nice with me at least, and did not really deserve to be treated this way. But for some reason, talking with Maurecia was a nice way to just relax, and I was not going to lose that to try and be nice.

"Yeah, you would be right about that. I mean, he is a okay guy, and he is at least trying to be nice, and he has gotten better over time, but seriously, I would not be super interested in him. Plus he wants to be class president, and I don't want to be dating somebody who is into the politics of school. Those are boring as shit." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking a bit bored, and then I saw her already losing interest in her shit talking of Myron.

"Hey Maurecia, what are you thinking of Kevin or anything like that? I mean, he is probably not like super stellar in your eyes, but I would guess that if I was not at this school, he would be your choice to go to." I said, and I was then thinking about the context behind this. The fact that I was indirectly indicating that Kevin was handsome. I did not really want to be giving that impression, since I did not want anybody to be making rumors or anything like that.

"Yeah, you are probably right. I mean, he is alright looking. And if I had to, I would not be too opposed to the idea of going on a date with him." After Maurecia said that, I nodded, feeling like maybe we were going to be getting along fine, and that maybe we were finding ourselves agreeing on a lot more things that I was ever really thinking that we were going to. At least we were not getting on each others throats, and at least she and I were talking about something that was disturbingly of interest to me.

"I mean, I know that some of my older siblings always tell me to look at boys beyond their looks, but that is going to be hard. I mean, if I don't have a base line attraction to them, then there is no way that I am going to be super invested in something. That is just the truth of how it is." After she said that to me, I was then feeling like I could be able to see that in her mind. How she was able to come to such a conclusion.

"Well, your older siblings are probably those type of people who always try to find the small details that make people great, or at least they are going to be trying to say that to you." I said, and then after I had said that to them, I was seeing Maurecia looking like she was not super excited about that, and thought that this would be a bit stupid, and that they were probably just trying too hard for something that was not really their business anyways.

"I think that they just want to make sure that I don't fall in love with a dick or anything. I think they're being too scared. I don't care about that." She was telling me, and then I was thinking about the fact that Maurecia and I were probably going to be getting along just well. But at the same time, I was unsure of what I would even want to be saying now. I was thinking that maybe when the school year was over, I could show her parents that I was not a totally a loser and stuff.

"Hey Maurecia, how do you think that you are going to be getting your parents ans siblings to see that people like Kevin and I are not so bad? I think that if you try to say that, they will not listen to you. But if I show them myself, then they might be more willing to see me in action." I said, and then after I had said that, I was then thinking about what I had just said, and if I was going to make a real difference at all with the situation that we were setting ourselves up for.

"I think that they are just going to be too worried about different things going on with me. I think that you would have to prove yourself to make them think that you are not so bad. But I think that you might not be super interested in trying something like that out." After Maurecia said that, I was then sighing, as if thinking that maybe there was a level of truth to that statement.

"Yeah, I think that there might not be anything worth it here. I think that I would just leave this alone." I said, and then after I was done with this, I was just then thinking about what was even going to be happening now. I was thinking that maybe Maurecia was just going to have to be doing this thing on her own. But then after that, I was just then thinking about what I was going to be doing on this first day. I mean, now that it was over with, I was wondering if any of this would matter now.

As I was about to head out of the school, I was bothered once again by a different person at the school. I was telling myself not to show how annoying that this whole thing was getting, since I did not want to hurt their feelings. But in all honesty, I was feeling like I was sort of over my fucking limit with this crap. I turned around, and I was seeing that Myron was standing a couple of feet away from me. As he was looking at me, I was seeing him looking like he was actually hoping to gather my attention for something really important. I was going to decide if I felt like this was actually going to be true.

"Hey Todd, I was wanting to know if I had your support right now." After he had asked me this, I was then looking at him, unsure what exactly he had meant, and what he was even trying to accomplish with this. But then after I was thinking about it for a moment, I sighed, nodded, and felt like I was going to have a answer to his question. Since I felt like perhaps I could be able to have an answer after all.

"Are you talking about the whole class president thing? I heard about that actually. Do you have any plans on how to be getting along with that? I have no intention on running, so you don't have to deal with me trying to get in your way of it all." I said, and then I was smiling at Myron, wondering if that comment was going to get him to feel better. But at the same time, I was just then thinking about what the hell he would even get out of running for class president, since in all reality, I was never one to see the appeal of pretending like you are some politician or anything like that.

"Well, I am glad that at least you are not wanting to go out there and do anything that would oppose my rule. I hope that you remain to that statement in the future. Anyways, if you claim that I will have your support, then thank you for that. I am so glad that we have an understand of each other." After he had said that to me, I was looking down, feeling like I needed to find a way out of this, and get him to not be so obsessed with that shit, as much as I wanted to make him feel like he was going to have some good goals or anything.

"What is the main thing that is making you want to run in the first place? I mean, I think that doing something like that would not really have too much appeal after a while. At least, I would think that it would not." I said, and then I saw Myron looking like he was not really having a good reason to my question.

"Well, I think that it would be a lot of fun to finally have something that I can be proud of. Something that gives me some motivation. I think that when I go out there, and I actually get to accomplish something like being class president, then I can be able to finally have some excitement in my life." After he was saying that to me, I was then looking at him, just trying to find something that could be able to make me understand where he was coming from. But at the same time, I did not think too much about it then.

"I guess that if you are really desperate to have something keeping your social life together, then I would be able to get it. I just never really understood the appeal to it. But I guess that everybody has that one thing that keeps them together." After I was saying that to him, I was seeing him looking like he was wondering what I would be saying now. If he had any plans to try and make me really understand his perspective.

"I just wish that I would be able to have some friends that can be able to help me get my vision of being able to become the class president. But it seems like nobody is ever really going to be able to try and understand where I am coming from with what I want." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was feeling kind of sad over what he had been feeling. But at the same time, I was seeing him just wanting to find a way to get me to join his side. I was then thinking that maybe I needed to give him a chance, if he was wanting this so badly.

"Well, I will try to understand where you are coming from. Since you seem to really like it. But I don't know if I am going to have the true understanding of how it is like quite yet." I said, and then I was just shrugging, unsure of what I was even going to say now. I just had no real clue what the hell I was even going to be doing now, since there was virtually no path that I was going to be taking that was actually going to help me out.

"I think that you will understand how it is like when you have something that you really want, even when nobody is going to be able to understand what you are really wanting and stuff. I think that when you are really wanting something, you just go as far as you can to make sure that you can be able to get it." After he was telling me this, I was just thinking about how off this whole situation really was, and I was even less sure of how much I really cared.

"I guess that maybe there is some level of truth to that. But I guess that I will never really be able to fully get it. I think that if I were to understand where you are coming from, then I think that maybe I will start to have a bit of a difference. But I guess that maybe there is more that I understand of this than I would really like to admit." I was then sighing, then thinking about the life that I was going to be having now.

"Hey Todd, do you think that you would really know what your own goals to your year at the school life is going to be like?" After he was asking me this, I was then thinking about what I would be able to say to him that would make it seem like none of my goals were going to be stupid. I doubt that he was really going to have that much of an opinion on what I was doing.

"I think that I am going to just try and settle in and try to have some sense of popularity. I know that there are going to be those people who say that popularity is not all that popular, and that I need to think about other things, but sure there must be some good out of being popular. You know, at least it is going to be easy to socialize with people that way, and there is going to be less of a social suicide that way." I said, and then I was then shrugging, thinking about the fact that I was talking about the fact that I was trying to justify the idea of having at least a small amount of school popularity. When something like that should not even be all that big of a deal to be shooting for.

"Yeah, being popular is all that really matters. If you can't be popular, then you can't get things that you would want in school. You know, like being class getting to go out on dates." After he had said that, I was laughing at the fact that he was bringing up being class president first thing, like he was thinking that this was really the most important thing that could be going on. I was then thinking that I could make a comment on that.

"I guess that you really care a lot about the whole class president thing. I guess that maybe you really want that more than anything." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing Myron looking like he was feeling a bit bad for the fact that I was calling him out like that. But then after he was done with that, he was then looking like he was ready to be finding something to talk about. Something that he was just wanting to really think about how proud of the event that he really was. Even though I was unsure of why he was needing to be so called proud over this whole thing.

"Well, I think you will probably be getting used to the whole class president thing soon enough. You might not be super excited about it, and I hear people telling me that it is kind of annoying often, but I think that soon enough, you will be used to this." After he was saying that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was wanting to find something else to say right now.

"I know that everybody can be kind of annoying to other people. I think that when you are doing your own thing, people might be a bit over the top on this whole thing, but that is nothing that you might be too worried about. I think that it is honestly not a huge deal." I said, and then I was unsure of what the heck I was saying. I mean, I did not know what it was like, but I did not really know what it was like to be telling me this stuff. You know, I did not really want to make him feel bad. But I did not know what his personality was really like.

"Thanks for understanding me. I mean, I know that I am not perfect, but I feel like I am not a dick, and that as long as I am not a dick, then things are not all that bad. I think that people just need to accept that I am not meaning any bad intent over this whole thing in the first place." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was being sincere about the way that he had felt on this. I was then nodding, feeling like this whole thing made a lot of sense.

"I think that I understand what you mean. I think that people are just too critical about things that people are never able to understand." After I was saying that to Myron, I was seeing him looking like he was really glad over everything that had been going on. "But I guess that when they are acting like this, then they are probably just unable to really know what it is like to have a giant goal in their mind that they are trying to really work out." When I was done with this, I was seeing Myron looking totally glad that he had been saying this.

"I am glad to see that somebody around me gets it, and does not make me feel bad for the ambition that I have been feeling. I think that people are going to just simply have a hard time to be able to really understand it all." After Myron said that to me, I was then seeing him looking like he was just thinking that we were going to be getting along famously given the way that I was talking to him, and that I was going to be able to understand it much better than he would ever think anybody else could see it, and that we were going to be relatively in sync now.

As he was done saying that to me, that was when there was another voice coming right towards us. Despite how over the top this whole thing really was, I was telling myself to just pretend like it was not bothering me all that much. I was turning around, and I was seeing that it was Dana. I was seeing that when I saw Dana, that maybe this was not going to be all that big of a deal.

"Hey Todd, I was wondering if you were going to be here after the first day was over." After Dana had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was actually kind of shocked at this, but that when she was seeing me, she was really wanting to see if the two of us were going to have a small conversation or something to make the two of us actually seem more excited on this whole thing. I was then thinking about what I was doing now.

"Well, I would have been out of here at first, but then Myron showed up, and decided to try and hang out with me for a bit. Talking you know about being class president and stuff. I am honestly surprised that it was not all that annoying to discuss." After I had said that to him, I was seeing her looking like she was kind of glad to seeing the two of us actually getting along to at least some extent. After she had given me that look, I was then wondering what I even going to be getting myself into this, and if it was even going to make a difference.

"Well, as long as you guys are getting along, then I will not be getting in your business about this whole thing. I was just wondering if you were wanting to hang out today. There are some things that I want to show you, that I think you could be excited about seeing." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say something else about what she was wanting to show me, but that maybe I was just going to see what was keeping her excited before I would do any of this.

"Alright, if you are really interested in something like this, then I will try and see what I can do to figure this out. I mean, this must be really exciting considering your feelings towards this right now." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was wondering what was even getting her so interested in this in the first place. But I was feeling like I just had to find a way to get her to be more open with whatever the hell was going on.

"That is really great. I was really hoping that you were going to say this. I mean, this is really a big deal, and I think that you need to try and see what I am planning on you to understand." After she was telling me this, I was then thinking about what I was even getting myself set up for. I was then sort of unsure of what I would even do if Dana was just going to be basically wasting my time, and it turned out that virtually nothing was going on here.

"So how far away do you live from the school?" I asked, and Dana was shrugging a bit, as if thinking that it was not all that important. She was actually looking like she was doing the math in her head, sort of unsure of what to be telling me right now. She was looking like she was kind of feeling a bit unsure of what I was going to be telling her over he reaction to this whole thing.

"I would say probably about twenty five minutes or so. I know what it would be like if you are not wanting to go and do this. But I think that you will find it to be worth it, if you just go along and do it." After she was telling me this, I was seeing her looking like she was truly hoping that I was not going to be saying no to this, over a simple ration of distance.

"I live probably half an hour or so away. Which means that either you live relatively close to me, or that you live quite a good distance away from you. I guess that I will figure it out when we get there." I said, and I was kind of shocked at the fact that she was looking so open about the idea of going out and actually bringing me to her house, when she was probably going to get in trouble over doing such a thing, and that her parents might be thinking that what I did was wrong. Going to a girls house, and I was old enough to know why they were scared of such a thing.

"Well, I promise that either way, this is going to be worth it. I think that when you see what I want to show you, even you are going to be able to understand how exciting this will really be." After she was saying that to me, I was then nodding, feeling like I just needed to see if this was true. But I knew that in the end, the worst part about not trying was going to be the uncertainty of this whole thing. If I at least tried, then I could be able to give myself an answer of what I was going to be feeling on the matter one way or another.

As I was thinking about this whole thing, we were walking out of the school, and that was when Myron was calling out to us. "Hey, I hope that you have a good afternoon. See you tomorrow, and maybe you can tell me about what you guys were doing." After he was saying that to me, I was shrugging, thinking that I might as well just try and see how this whole thing was going to work. I was then thinking about the fact that the Dana and I were going to be hanging out for a while, as I was telling myself that I was rather interested in this whole idea. I was interested in knowing what the story was going to be that she was wanting me to know.

I was thinking about the fact that if I did not get to know what she was wanting to know, I was going to be having the ideas of what she was wanting to show me at the back of my mind for hours on end, and it was just going to be just something that I was never going to really be getting over with, no matter how much I was wanting to be able to put it all behind me.

"Hey Dana, thanks for giving me a chance to go on and hang out with you after school and stuff. I did not know if you were going to be super excited for the idea or anything like that." I said, and then after I was done with this, I was feeling like maybe she did not have much that she was going to want to say to me. Since all of this talking was just a bit strange, and I was feeling like I just needed to try and see where she was coming from.

"Well, I had a feeling that even if you did not learn it all from me, you were going to be learning from it sooner or later anyways, and I was just hoping that you could be able to at least learn it in a way that will make you feel like you are less overwhelmed by this stuff that is going on around me." After she was telling me this, I was thinking about what I was even going to get myself into here. I was feeling like this entire situation was just a bit strange. I mean, what was everybody hiding from me? I feel like I deserved to just have a straight answer given to me for once.

"I really hope that this story is going to be worth it. I think that you better be giving me a good story. In all honesty, if I feel like this is not going to be worth it, then I will just be wondering what the hell I am even doing now, and why I am even so bothered about anything in the first place." I was saying, thinking about the fact that in a way, I was kind of being a dick about it. But I guess that it did not matter what I was going to say to her to make my point.

As we were walking along, I was just sort of feeling like I was going to have to find a way to talk to her in a way that could make her feel like I was not putting a huge amount of pressure onto me. I was then thinking that maybe I had gotten too far with this whole thing, and that I needed to respect her a bit more than I had been in the last several minutes.

"Sorry for putting so much pressure on you. I guess that I just feel like I need to know what is even going on here, before I can make a conclusion on if this is going to be actually worth it or not. I just feel like when there is so much hype around this whole thing, that I am unsure of what the heck I am even going to feel on any of this." I was telling her, feeling like perhaps I was going to have to find a way to get her to feel like this whole thing was really going to be a big deal.

"The thing is that you just might not be fully ready to accept the story that I might be telling you at first. But when you start to accept it for what it is, I think that we can be able to start to make things better, and that we can work through this revelation." After she had said that to me, I was really thinking that I just had to know, and that if I did not get to know soon enough, then none of this was going to be escaping my fucking mind for the rest of my life.

We were getting near her house, and then I was thinking about something that I could say and make it sound like I was not too bothered by this whole thing, even if this was bothering me more than I was really wanting to admit it. But I was thinking as long as I appeared to be a man about it, she was not going to be thinking too much on it. "Was there somebody that died there or something?" I asked, and then she was shrugging.

"I mean, it is possible, but I don't really know all the details yet." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was just truly wondering what the hell I was going to be saying now. I was thinking that I was actually almost a bit scared of the way that she was looking at me, despite not wanting to admit such a thing. Despite thinking that the fear was something that I should lie about no matter what.

Once we were inside of her house, she was looking around, as if worried that either one of her parents were going to be there. I was glad that at least she was able to be smart enough to know that this could go really badly depending on if she was caught or not. But I decided not to be saying anything, since I was not wanting to make her feel like she was being pushed into anything that was going to bother her.

"I mean, it is not really all that big of a deal what my parents are going to be saying. I am just worried that they are going to be rough with you, and try to make things worse for you just because of you hanging out with me, and being a guy and all." After she had said that to me, we were going inside of her room, and I was thinking about what I was even going to be doing in my time. What I was even going to try and accomplish by having a conversation with her like this.

I was in her room, and then I was seeing her looking right at me, she was sort of wanting to say something else to me, to help me feel like I was sort of in a natural spot here. "Hey Todd, now that we are here, I think that I can be able to start to talk to you about the stuff that I know." After she was telling me this, I was sighing, telling myself that at least she was finally communicating with me about this, and not pushing me off for no real good reason here. I just wanted to see what was to go on now.

"Well, I was hoping that you were going to be getting right to the point. Thanks for doing that, and not straying away at all." I said, and then after I had said that to her, she was holding up her hand, and she was clearly looking like she was just feeling bad for all of this. All of the lies, and she was secretly thinking to herself that maybe she was needing to find a better way to be going about this whole entire thing.

"I know that what I am about to say is going to sound totally insane, and you might be refusing to believe me at first, but once I explain myself, I think that you will start to understand what I am meaning here." After she had said that, I was rolling my eyes, hoping that she would get right to the fucking point, and not drag out the matter anymore.

"I think there are some things in this town that can't quite easily be explained." Dana was saying, and then she was flicking her head a bit, and then she was looking like she had the answer she had wanted. "Oh yeah by the way, there's monsters." After she was telling me this, I was looking at her, utterly confused at how she went to that from talking about the town being strange. I mean, there was no fucking connection at all.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I mean, monsters? That seems totally random and out of nowhere. Do you have any proof that can show me that you are telling the truth?" I asked, scared of what she was going to be telling me right now. I was thinking that if she was going to have the truth to this, then I was really going to be having a large issue ahead of me. That this was going to be the one part of life that I was not going to be ready for. The one thing that I felt like I should be trying to do to make it seem like I was not totally confused.

"I know that it sounds totally crazy right now. I think that you probably know better than anybody else how insane that this whole thing sounds. That being said, there are some things to this that are actually true. I think that you just need to really listen to me, and you really just need to give me a chance to explain everything that is going on." After she was saying this to me, I was thinking about what I was going to say now. What I was going to be able to say to try and bring some damn sense into this whole thing. But I was thinking that I just needed to try and be respectful to this.

"Alright, I know that this is sounding totally insane, and I am having a hard time believing in this, and I think you can see why I am feeling this way... But I think that I do need to give you a chance. Besides, I think that maybe there is something that could be true about all of this. You know, considering the fact that is already a bunch of things that is going on at this town. I think that maybe I need to just try and see what I am dealing with now." I was unsure of what the hell I was even going to be doing now, and how I was going to be able to get her to respect the side of the perspective that I was on, and that I just needed her to actually be telling me the truth with no bullshit.

"I was thinking and feeling that you would let the idea of truth be coming through to listen to me. That was what I had really needed right now." After she was telling me this, I was thinking that this better be worth it, and that there better not be any trick to this. But at the same time, I was seeing that there was a look of sincerity to what she was saying, and trust me when I say that this is the thing that was scaring me more than anything else about the matter.

"Alright, well what is the evidence to these monsters actually being real? I think that I need a true explanation behind that before I am able to believe anything else." I said, feeling like as long as I was going to remain on point, then she was going to respect the fact that I was listening to her at all, and with that, she would be more and more willing to tell me the truth of what the fuck was happening at this fucking town. "I think that this is going to require a lot of time for me to get. But I feel like I am needing to give you a chance. Even if I just don't fucking get it."

"Well, since it seems like you are willing to get right to the point, I will start to tell you as much as I can, as best as I can. But I need you to promise that you are not going to judge me no matter what. That you are not going to act like I am being stupid or anything like that." After she was telling me this, I was slowly nodding, thinking that as long as I was going to be presenting myself in a way that she would understand and appreciate, then it would be the best for everybody that was involved.

"I was at the library a few days ago, just reading some books, trying to learn some stuff." Dana said, and then there was that rude part of me that was instantly cutting her off, feeling like I just needed to take her back a step, and see if I had fully processed what I had heard correctly since I felt like I could not believe it.

"Are you seriously telling me that you like to go to the library on your own time? I mean, that is fucking stupid. I mean, sorry, but that is the truth. I think that you need to do something outside of school that is actually fun." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was actually kind of hurt, and I did not want her to feel that way, and I was telling myself that I had to try and be respectful to her, no matter what the situation really was.

"Sorry, I guess that I just don't get it really. But I suppose that if it is something that is interesting to you, then I will not be getting in your business about it anymore." I said, and then I was feeling like I was going to have to wait and see how long it was going to be taking in order for me to start to take back on that. But at the same time, I did not want her to be losing respect for me for the fact that I was not able to see where she was coming from or anything.

"Well, I think that you would enjoy it a bit more if you were to start to give it more of a chance. But I guess that you might not really know what can be so fun about learning more this place." After she was saying that to me, I was telling myself to be quiet, and that the more quiet I would be here, the better that things were going to be. I was thinking that I needed to just not be making a big deal out of it. She was right in that maybe I just did not know because I did not give it a chance, and that if I would do something like that, then things would make some more sense in my mind about it.

"Anyways, since we got that out of the way, let's just try to continue to talk about the story before you try and act like you need to talk over me again. So when I was in the library, I was hanging around the stuff that talked about archives from the town. I did not know what this was going to be like, but I was feeling like this was going to be a good starting point to helping me learn what is going on here. Anyways, so when I was at that area, I was starting to look at news papers, and I was going to start to read some of those, to see if that could help me learn some things more. I just wanted to know the truth of what was bothering people here, even if such a thing was going to be impossible to do. I was pulling one out, and I was seeing that there was a piece from a few weeks ago, and I decided to sit down and read what it was." After Dana said that to me, I was feeling like the question I would ask her this time would not piss her off so much, since I was feeling like it was a valid one, at least compared to the one that I had been making earlier.

"But if it only happened a few weeks ago, should you already know what was going on here? I mean, you probably have a good memory of these things." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was probably not so sure on this. She was looking like she was hating the fact that I was talking like this anyways. "I mean, I am just a bit confused is all. I mean, this looks like it is only a relatively urban place, so that maybe there might be word that travels around faster, than it would be able to normally." After I was done saying that to her, I was wondering what she was going to be saying to this, and if she was annoyed with the way that I had been talking by that point.

"Well, I was not really aware of all the details, so I was feeling like maybe if I went around and looked for a bit, I would be able to find out the truth, and then I would be able to let people find out what I know and stuff. But it seems like the answers are rather hard to be finding to be totally honest." After she was saying that, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to find something easier, but at the same time, was quite having a hard time with this whole thing.

"I mean, I felt like I would have been able to find out some truths that are going on at this town, you know to see if there was something going on. But I guess that something like this might not happen. I mean, there are just a lot of stuff going on here, and I just want to know the truth of what is happening here. But I feel like something like this was probably just not going to work." After she was saying that to me, trying to feel better about this, I was seeing her looking quite sad about this whole thing. I did not think that I would quite get it, but at the same time, I felt like I needed to at least try and see it from her perspective.

"Well, what did you learn from what you read? You know, what is relating to the monsters and all of that stuff?" I asked, and I was feeling like as long as I was polite, I was going to be able to finally get some real answers from her. I just felt like I needed to attempt to see what was keeping this together. "Sorry for all the interruptions. The last part of the story just kind of confused me was all, and I was unsure of what was going on."

"I don't really know, I just feel like what I was reading would have given you a better context. I was reading some notes that were left behind, and when I had read the notes, there was claims that the people were having that they had seen something like a small dinosaur creature roaming the street. They did not know what they were seeing, but they were certain that whatever they were seeing was not human, and not a normal animal." After she was telling me this, I was seeing her looking a bit worried about what she was saying, as if unsure of how to continue the story now.

"The story was talking about people who had seen a monster coming right towards them, and almost destroyed them. They ended up destroying several cars and trees along the way. Although the mayor tries to brush this off as a random incident of somebody setting of too many fire crackers or something. Honestly, I don't believe in that story at all." After Dana was telling me this, I was looking at her, as if unable to believe that she was able to comprehend the monsters but not that.

"I know that it seems odd to believe in the monsters but not the other thing. But if you have seen everything else that is going on at this town, and you seen all the other stories, the you know that it is not just one person being a idiot. There is something going on, and if you looked deeper, you would be able to see that something like this is the truth." After she was saying that to me, there was something about the way that she was saying this that was making me believe that maybe she was telling the truth. That was the main thing that was setting me off. The fact that she was looking to truly believe in what she was telling me.

"Well, what do you mean that there is something else going on here? Maybe that can help me know what the heck is going on here?" I asked, and then I was seeing her looking like she was just unsure of what to be telling me. She was looking like she was not wanting me to know the details of what she was meaning. "I mean, if you claim that I am going to learn sooner or later anyways, you might as well just tell me now, so that way I will be able to have some clue of what I am going to be getting myself ready for in the future."

"Well, I know that I said that, but I think that it is a matter of how you learn it that is the bigger issue than you learning it or not. I mean, how can I be able to properly explain the fact that there are actual sightings in the forest of the town? I mean, like sightings that have actually had pictures taken of, and they are able to be seen by anybody. I think that when you see these things, you will be able to see that for better or for worse, there is no way around it." After she had said that to me, I was looking at Dana, and I was seriously believing in her from the way that she was looking at me with a large amount of utter terror.

"What do you mean that there are actually pictures that prove it? Do you know where any of them are? I think that if you show me these, then I will start to believe in you a bit more." I was saying, feeling like I was really getting into a territory that was just going to be a bit scary for me. I was scared of what she was wanting me to know, and that was something that I was just hoping she would just not bullshit with me on, and that she would just give me the full story of this thing.

"Well, I guess that if you are willing to give me a chance to show you, I will show you some of the pictures that I have found over time. When I do that, then I think that maybe you might be more willing to believe in me here." After she was saying that to me, I was starting to feel like there had to be something going. Like maybe somebody told her that this was impossible, and she was wanting to find some way to prove to people that this did really happen. I was thinking that maybe I was just going to have to see what she was onto, and that maybe she might have been telling the truth on this.

"I mean, I am wanting to know what is going on here. So yeah, I guess that I am willing to give you a chance to show me what you are talking about?" I asked, and then I was feeling like when I was going to be hearing this, I would be able to see if she was insane, or if she was actually telling me the truth. I did not know which one I was going to prefer, but I just felt like I needed to have some fucking idea of what was going on here.

"Alright, now that you are showing me some interest in what is going on, I think that we better just get right to it. Not to be wasting any time with this." After she had said that to me, I was starting to stand up, getting ready for what was going to happen now, and if Dana really wanted me to see what I was even going to be looking into. I just felt like this whole situation was a bit odd to be dealing with, and I was wanting Dana to possibly just explain to me why she was wanting me to know all of this in the first place. If she had some plans on me or anything like that. I felt like I just needed to know what was going on before I went on and did anything at all.

"Just give me a moment. I have it with me, but it might take a few seconds before I will be able to have it." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking at me, as if wondering if I was going to stick here, or if I was going to try and follow her. I was shrugging, as if lightly showing her that I had no plan on doing anything like that to her. I was just wanting to finally get the answer, no matter what the road to be leading there was actually going to be. I was seeing her coming along to a drawer, where she was slowly pulling out a small book and bringing it right to me, as if hoping that I was not going to mind some reading here.

Once she was putting the book on my lap, I was telling myself that I might as well see what she was going to have to offer me, and if it was going to be worth it in my eyes for her to be showing me this. "I know that you might not really get it st first, but I think as you read more of it, you will start to realize why this is something I think you will be able to use." After she had said that to me, I was then nodding, telling myself to just get it over with, and see what was even going on here. Why she was thinking that I would have to help her with this type of stuff in the first place.

The first page that I had opened up to was saying something on the lines of: This is a combined set of stories that I have heard about all of the monster sightings that I have heard. Some with actual evidence, and some of which are nothing more than just stories that I have heard. Regardless of what I may say though, I will let the reader decide if these are real. If I had to guess, I would say that a lot of these are real, or maybe even all of them, but I would have no doubt if many of them are over blown for the sake of story telling. Over blown just to get a reaction out of people. I am not sure what to think about them though if you were to tell me to let you know my opinions.

So what I am doing is just going to write down the entire story that I know of, and what I know of it, and then after I am done explaining all the details, I will write a few sentences at the very end to sort of just be telling you all how I feel on it being real or not. In the end, I will let everybody decide for themselves which ones are real or not. Since as the writer here, I am just sort of left to give you guys the materials you need to make your choice, and I have no desire to be making the choice for you.

I hope that either way, no matter what you may be feeling here, you will find entertainment in this at least. That if for nothing else, you are going to be interested in seeing what these stories contain, and that you will be able to make a true and informed choice. I think that if for nothing else, most of these will be interesting to debate, and that most of these can be a good exercise of the mind, and a good thought set on trying to figure out what could be going on in this town. Since I think that there is one single thing we all agree on. The fact that this town is one strange ass place that we need to figure out if it is high as a kite or not.

"I guess that this is something that you might have written by yourself?" I asked, and then I was lightly smiling at Dana as I was saying that to her. I mean, I did not get her at all, but I would be lying if I said she did not have her own strange charm. There was something kind of appealing to her. And I was thinking that maybe she was going to be a good friend if for nothing else. That this was something I should not be letting down, no matter what was going on.

"Well, you see, I was just trying to keep it open ended. I was just trying to get the readers to be feeling like either way they feel about the subject was going to be fine. If they decide to look at it as a work of fiction, I won't stop them. If they decide to believe that this was a true story, then I don't think that they should be brought down as well. I think that if anything, it should be open to discussion which one is possibly true, and which one is not going to be likely at all." After she had said that, she was shrugging, as if feeling like this was a fair stance to take it. I mean, I could not find myself to argue with her, so I was thinking that maybe she did a good job with what she was trying to convey after all.

"I guess that maybe when you want to come off as an actual reporter to something, you do need to make it look like you are not super opinionated on a subject. I guess that I sort of get it." I said, and then after I was done saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was glad to know that at least I was able to sort of see it where she was coming from. She probably thought that I was going to refuse to see where she was coming from. Which was going to be a bit awful for her to deal with. I was thinking that when I would be seeing how she felt about a great various subjects, I would start to like her more, and that maybe I could be able to connect with her in a way that I never thought was going to work at all.

"Alright, well I guess that maybe you are actually off to a good start after all. I think that you deserve to be given that at least. So I will be leaving you alone on this, and I will see how I can help you out here." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her just sort of glad to see that I was coming around to the matter, and that there was probably a certain amount of respect that she was getting from me.

Before either one of us could beat this dead horse of a conversation any longer, I decided that I would continue to read the story, and that I was going to see what was actually happening here, since with my new perspective, and the fact that Dana was at least trying to make it look like she was keeping an open mind, I decided that I would continue to read it.

"So the first story that was told to me was from a young boy, well slightly younger than me. He was probably about ten when he told me this story a few months ago. He was telling me that his parents had felt like he was now finally old enough to watch himself for a few hours while they were out to dinner. At the time, that seemed like a huge step up in trust, and that was making him so excited. The fact that his parents were letting him be able to have the house to himself for even a couple of hours.

He was telling me that he had started to watch some of the television that was in the house. His parents barely let him watch, since tv is still a decently new thing, and they only had theirs for like two months or something. He was telling me that he was wanting to be super careful about it that way his parents either would never notice he was watching it, or that they would start to feel like maybe they could trust him with it if they did catch the act in a way.

He truly was hoping that there was going to be something very interesting to watch. I did not know what he was meaning by interesting, and from the look on his face, he was almost looking like he was not quite sure where he was hoping to have that take him either. He probably just wanted to watch something that was more exciting than stupid media coverage. I mean, I am a buff on knowing more stuff, but even I have to admit that there is nothing less interesting than news.

Anyways, so he was telling me that he ended up getting his wish. But not in the way that he was expecting to get it. The first thing he was watching was a cut off to static, and something like a strange transmission that was being broadcast to the local networks. He was saying that when he was watching this, he was actually scared. Like he was going from excited to be terrified in the matter of just a few seconds. But at the same time, he was too interested in hearing and seeing what was being presented, that he was just telling himself that he would continue to watch, no matter what the result was going to be.

The broadcast was a man in a animal mask just staring at the viewers. He seemed to have almost no expression, that was what the kid had told me. He just enjoyed looking at the screen for a few seconds. Then he started to tell the viewers that something very big was going to be happening in a few minutes, and that the audience should be watching, to see what was going on. The kid was telling me that when he was watching this, he actually was starting to believe in what he was seeing. He was starting to believe that something was actually about to go down soon, and that was why he was watching as carefully as he could.

He was telling me that the view of the broadcast was zooming into a random building in the town, And that when he was watching, it was looking like there had only been a couple of people inside of the building, sort of minding their own business, unaware of anything that was going on. Then the guy in the broadcast said that something was going to happen soon, and that we were just going to have to pay super close attention to what is going on.

There was one person who was walking out of the store, and he was smoking a cigarette as he was starting to head out. As he was heading along, there was something else that was going into the building. If that person had been around for a couple of seconds, then there was a good chance that he was probably going to get himself killed and stuff. After the monster was going inside, or what we were at first assuming was the person was going inside of the store, there was a bunch of loud noises. And the boy told me that all he would be able to see was a bunch of shit being thrown around the store, and then there was a couple of stuff that was being destroyed. As the stuff was being destroyed, that was when there was a little bit of screaming, and the boy was telling me that he was feeling like he needed to leave, but he could not be able to stop watching.

The thing eventually left the place, and it was looking like there were a bunch of blood marks on the wall, which had meant that whatever that thing was actually killed every single thing in the store. The thing looked like it was in a small zombie like shape before it started to walk out of the store, and then go out and head on the town when it had started to change how it looked to being a human once again. The boy told me that he was certain that he was witnessing a nightmare of something like that.

Then he told me that the screen cut back to the man with the animal mask, and he was looking like he was just glad at the scene he had just showed us. Then the man said that this was only the first of several showings that he was going to be showing us, and that he was deeply hoping that we would enjoy every single one of them.

When the man who was at the start of the broadcast had said that, he was starting to place all of his fingers together, and told us that there was something very important to all of this. Something that he was hoping we would all learn. That life was not the way that we would expect it. That there was always something happening here. That one must always expect the unexpected, and that only by doing so, would one have a chance of being ready for the things that we were to come before he ended up just staring at the screen for several more seconds, and then ending off after that." After that, the statement ended and I was looking right at Dana again, unsure of what to say.

"I mean, you did tell me that this kid was like ten or so. Are you sure that he was not just saying a bunch of stuff for the sake of story? I mean, I think that something like this might be quite possible. I think that one must be expecting that a bit. I just don't know what to say." I said, and then I shrugged, thinking that what I had said was the best that I could do here.

"I know that under almost any other case that would be sounding like a good idea to be going off of. But please, read the rest of this. I have a feeling that this kid might be for real this time. I think that there is something going on here, and I explain it in my final thoughts. That being said, regardless of what I think, I always put down the story in a way that was making me feel like I could be unbiased. That was just the telling of what I was hearing from him." Dana told me, and then was wondering if I was going to try and argue with her on this, or if I was going to keep my mouth shut.

"Alright, if you insist that something is going on, then I will go and see what is going on. I just don't know what the hell is going on. I have no idea what to be feeling right now. This whole thing just seems really strange." I said, and then after I was saying this to her, I was still not too sure what was going on at all.

"I guess that I will listen to your arguments one way or another. I have a feeling that either way, you will be able to explain it to me in a way that I will be able to understand. I think that this is the best that I can be able to do. Considering the fact that you are like a genius and everything of the like." I smiled, wanting to see if that comment was going to woo Dana just a little bit.

With that, I decided that I was going to be giving the thoughts a read, and then I was starting to think when I read her statement, she was having a good point. "Here is the thing about my opinions of this story. At first I did not want to believe it, but when I started to think about it, I was starting to think that maybe there was a level of truth to the story that had been told to me. I think that this guy might be for real on this one, and I will explain in depth why I feel like at least this time, the kid would not be lying.

First he claims that he is aware of the fact that he makes up a lot of stuff, and that he kind of feels bad for doing that now, but that in this case, when there was a person who had their life on the line, he was never going to even dare pretend that something was not happening. The person who told me what was going on was saying that he was scared out of his mind when he was relaying this story to me. I could see from his expression that he was not lying.

I saw from his expression that he was actually really not messing around with the whole being scared thing. Then he told me that there were several other people at the school who had said they had seen the thing. He said that if he was the only one who saw what had happened, then he could understand what people would be saying if he was lying, but when several people tell him that this was the truth, there was no way of even pretending like something like this did not really happen.

The boy was telling me that this was an event that actually happened. The store raid. I was then nodding at that, knowing that he was telling the truth. I heard the stories myself. I knew that even if I wanted to lie about it, there was a good chance this was real. Then he told me something that I should be looking into. After he had said that to me, I was then sighing, and told him to let me know what was going on here.

He told me to talk to the people who were there, and actually look into it. I decided that I would, and the person I was seeing at the store said that there was something like claw marks on the bodies, and that the marks on the ground could not possibly look like the marks of a human. I looked at the ground and saw what they meant. There was a mark that looked like it literally went like three inches down, and had immense amount of strength put into it. I am pretty sure that there was something going on here. Even if monsters are not real, I have a feeling that there was no way this boy was lying. I just don't know what exactly happened." The paper finished, and I looked at Dana, unsure of how to react.

"That is strange. My god, that is also kind of scary. How do you feel about this whole thing? Knowing that you think this is real, what the fuck are we going to do?" I asked, and then after I had asked her this question, I was actually feeling hopeless for once, and I was feeling like I was setting myself up for something that I was not really ready for.

"Well, just be ready for whatever is to come. There are also more stories that can be told on here. I think that you might be ready to read those. I mean, there are some that are just totally irrefutable. And even some that I am just totally unsure of how to feel. Some that I feel like I need to try and be more sure of before I commit. Since in all honesty, those are the ones that I am less certain of, and I think that you might be more able to know which ones those are, and I am not going to tell you which ones I think are which, because I do want you to try and make your own opinion on the matter." After Dana said that, I was slowly nodding, feeling like I was able to start to understand what she was trying to accomplish.

"Alright, so I guess that there might be some truth to the monster thing after all. I never thought that this would be something that I would openly admit. That is strange, and I am honestly not sure how to feel here. But at the same time, I think that I need to understand what else is going on. I think that this is the best that I can really do. And I am going to just try and be safe before I go out there and try to do anything, since I do not want to die or anything." After I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was just glad to be seeing me open up.

"You will be fine. I think that I know you enough already to know that you do not want to make any problems if you feel the need to not create anything. I think that you are able to understand better than anybody that this is something serious." After she had said that, I slowly nodded, ready for the next bit of the story, and ready to see what the next case she looked into was.

"The next story that has been told to me is one that I am not so sure about, and I really feel like it is in the best interest of the general reader to be choosing what to say on this case. Since I have a feeling this will heavily divide most people around anyways. But I will not say any more on it and just get right to the point of what I had heard on this second story.

The story started when a older lady was coming to me, and said that she was hearing that I was collecting stories for an investigation on monsters and the like. I had told her that this was indeed the case, and she told me she was really happy to hear that, and that she had many stories that she had wanted to tell me. I was telling her that this was wonderful and that I would take one story at a time, to avoid having too many cluttered together of one person.

She said that she seemed to understand where I was coming from on this, and said that she was going to try and not go too overboard on this. Although I could tell from the look on her face that she was kind of hoping that I would take back what I had said here, and that I was going to let her tell me more. But before I could even think about it anymore, she was getting right to the point and she was no longer messing around with it.

She had told me that this first story that she had dated all the way to when she was around my age, and that she was supposed to be getting ready for bed one night. She did not seem to think too much on it, since she knew the standards that her parents had with sleeping at a decent time, and she was just telling herself to sort of get it over with, and not be pressing her luck on the issue. After she had decided that she was going to actually give sleeping a chance, she was actually kind of glad that she was listening to her parents on this one, since she was starting to realize how much she was actually fatigued.

She had slept for about an hour or so, not knowing what she was even dreaming of, and was almost just sort of treating it like another night. That all changed when there was a strange loud noise that was keeping her awake. She was getting up, and she was hearing the noise getting louder. When she knew that she was awake and she was still hearing it, that for better or for worse, this was not anything that she had dreamed. That idea was scaring her much more than she was really wanting to admit. But she figured that she would go on and try to see what was even going on, and then for real this time, she would actually be going to bed. Since she was thinking that there would be nothing too awful about this.

After she had left her room to just quickly check, she was feeling like she was going to be pissing off her parents either way, but in a way, she was finding herself not giving a care in the world what they were going to be thinking of her actions at the moment. She wanted to just know the truth, and what was actually happening.

She was walking around, feeling a little scared, wondering and fearing what that thing was going to be. She was thinking that if she was not careful, then she was going to be getting something out of this. She just wanted to finally make her mind be at peace. Eventually, she was down stairs, where she was feeling like she had heard the noise. When she had opened the door she had felt like she had heard the noises the worst, she was starting to be a little bit scared, but she opened the door, feeling like she might as well just see what the noise was, and get it over with.

When she was seeing that there was something like a man that looked almost like a tree looking at her, she was shocked at what she was seeing, and as anybody in the world would expect, she was scared at such an idea, and she was not wanting to even look at the thing that she was certain would be giving her nightmares anymore. She had went to her room, and as she was in her room, at the bed, trying to sleep, she saw that there was a monster like thing looking right at her. It was the same one from the room, and the thing was actually coming right towards her. As she was seeing this, she was truly feeling like something was about to happen. The monster thing placed their hands on her chest, and this was when she knew she had to either fight, or just give up on life.

She kicked the monster back, and then it fell down to the ground, and then the thing was starting to leave the room by her window, and left the window a crack open, which was the best way to figure out that something was going on. The girl was laying on her bed for a couple of minutes before she felt like she had to at least pretend like she was asleep, for the sake if appeasing her parents and not getting them angry at her for staying up anyways.

She had said that she had no real clue what she was seeing, but that all she did know was that she did not want to be messing with fate anymore, fearing that something was going to be coming out of it if she did not remain careful. She was telling me that despite what she was feeling like was a decent effort, more stuff would come along, over the years, and promised to tell me all of that stuff over time." The second piece ended, and then I was looking at Dana, as if trying to see what she thought before even reading the notes she had. I gave up after a second and decided to read it.

"Now the thing is that I am unsure of if this is something I believe in or not. I mean, there was no proof that she had made to this statement, and she was just coming in to tell me this story. I feel like I would be making a mistake for not having some uncertainty to this whole entire story. I think that unlike the one with the young kid, where there was a bunch of things that was leading towards him telling the truth, this one literally has nothing besides words. I honestly can't get myself to believe one way or another. I think that there is a good chance that this is false.

I just think that I need to know more one way or another before I can confirm or deny this one being real. Once I have more to work with, I will gladly rate this as one of the two. I think that when I think about the huge amount of piled evidence at the last case though, this one by comparison is just much less likely for me to buy, and I think that this is something that comparatively, if I had to pick, was a false story.

That being said, she has a lot of stories that she wants to tell me over time, and I feel like it is my duty as somebody who is trying to figure out the truth behind this whole thing to at least try and listen to her stuff. I think that this is the least that I can do, and that is the one thing that I feel like I am going to do, and see if it is going to be getting me anywhere. I don't know what I will think of the others though, and that is something that I am going to have to really be sure not to let this story get in the way off.

I mean, for all I know, these later ones might be really convincing and retroactively change my mind on this one. I think that there is a good chance that this story will have my entire opinion change on it over time. But for the time being, as I kept saying a couple of times, I will leave this one in the undecided column, and let the viewer probably just decide what they think of it." After she was saying that in her thoughts, I was shrugging, wanting to find more to say, but in a way, I was feeling like I was not really able to have any real words of choice on it all.

"Yeah, you are right about this one. I mean, there is nothing concrete one way or another about it. I mean, I would be wrong in just saying that it is false, and that nothing is coming out of it. But at the same time, I feel like there must be something going on that we could be able to get more on. I wish that I was able to say one way or another." I said, totally unsure of what the hell I was even going to be saying to it besides that. If I had any real need to talk on it now.

"I think that when I just try to find a way to tell myself one way or another, it just is hard. I mean, it is impossible to say for certain how I feel on this. I mean, I guess that something could be happening here, but I just want to know what is going on here before I know what to say." After Dana was telling me this, I was seeing her looking like she was just thinking that there was something sad about the fact that there was a story that she wanted to be true, and yet there was literally no way to act like it could have been without just basically doing so out of pure emotion.

"I mean, you clearly have a lot more than just two stories. But before I even continue, I am curious, and just tell me the truth on this one. Are there any stories here that you think are just flat out false? Like you just feel like there is no way in hell on earth that this could be true?" I asked, and then after I was asking her this question, I was feeling like she was thinking about that for a moment, as if she really had no idea what to say.

"I don't know. I think there were a couple I was pretty uncertain of. But I think that I decided that I would not say that, and I was just finding something that I could find that could pretend like there was something here. But that being said, I think the first of these cases was the fifth story. That is the only one that I feel like might just be like really hard to pretend was actual real without having proof and evidence of it being there." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking interested in what I was saying to that when I get there.

"I will see what I can find there. I don't know what to be thinking of that quite yet. But I will be keeping myself on mind, for when we get there. Before I can end up coming to a conclusion one way or another. Anyways, thanks for putting your thoughts on these pieces. It is rather interesting to see what you feel on certain things here, without forcing you to tell me." I said, and then I was trying to find something else to say, but did not feel the need to.

"I hope that this whole thing will start to convince you that what I am talking about is true. I am still unsure if you are fully sure on what I am saying or not. I mean, it is not that big of a deal if you believe me or not, but I just feel like I have to try and find something that I could be doing here." Dana was telling me, and when I was looking at her, I was going to have to look at her in a realistic light as I was thinking about it more.

"I mean, I think that there could be some arguments that could have the idea of starting to be convincing. I am honest when I say that. But at the same time, I think this is still quite the huge jump, and I have to try and think about what I am doing here." I said, trying to find something else that could be able to really explain it all. "I mean, I do think that there is something that could be able to explain all of this. I just don't know if I have the courage to admit that I think it is this stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was just wanting to find something else to tell me now.

"But to be quite real with you, I think that I could be able to start to believe soon enough. I don't like it, and I don't want to believe in this, no matter how much I may want to, but this is just going to be too confusing to get into. You know, the fact that just a few hours ago, I was convinced that while there could be something out here, I never once thought that I would meet something. I guess that being said, I can start to realize that if I am here, and this is all true, then I am probably going to be running into something like this eventually. That it is more of a matter of when, and not even a matter of if it will happen." I said, and I was truly just wondering if I would ever really get through to her.

"This is either the most exciting, or the most scary thing that I am going to be going through in my life, and quite frankly, I am not sure if I want to find out which one it will be. But for the sake of being ready for this place, I feel like I am going to have to be." I said, and then I was gulping at this, and I knew that I was being silly at that, but I could not be able to help it out at the moment that I was in, under the thoughts I was having.

After I was done with this ranting that I had given her, I felt like it was time for me to get more of this reading done, hoping that the next set of answers were not going to be so damn awful. "Well, it seems like this set of stories that I am trying to learn is getting kind of popular. There was a twenty eight year old male that showed up to my house earlier today, and gave me easily the most interesting story out of the ones so far. Since there is only three, I guess that this is not too high of a bar, but still, credit where credit is due.

I feel for this bloke, I have to be giving out some details of him, to be able to help one start to understand why this is a interesting story. First, his age is a rather odd one. Not really super old, but not that young either. Old enough to have experience in his life, but young enough to still not be anywhere close to having them all. Plus, there is his simple employment that is of interest to me.

He was one of the towns gas station workers, who had been working relatively long hours of about ten a day. He was telling me that he was alright with the job, even if he was wishing to be doing something else with his skills. He told me that he had quit recently, due to his fears of what he had been seeing so far. I thought that he was probably just starting to get late night paranoia, but I did not want to say that to him, and I was also just a girl who was interested in a pursuit of knowledge that she was enjoying so far, so I told him that I would listen to his story, and see what he was having to say.

He said that he had been working there since he was twenty four, so four years at that point, and he was saying that there was nothing usual about that place. He said that the thing that always got to him was the fact that he had been there the longest out of anybody in the history of the station. The previous longest was just twenty one months, which meant that he had doubled the time that anybody else had been there, at a minimum. By that point, he was saying that he must have been certain that he had seen everything. There was almost no way in hell that he had not seen everything going on at that point.

Besides, he was saying that even if there was something that he had not seen yet, he would have been aware of how to be able to adapt to it rather quickly, and told me that he was thinking that there was no way he would be in trouble. I saw him looking like he was absolutely sure of what he had said, and that was the thing that got to me here." The notes was saying, and I looked up at her, wondering what she was going to be telling me at this point, and what she was wanting to say.

"Dang, I really have no idea what to be expecting with this. I mean, if you are so certain that this is going to be the story that got you hooked, and that this is the one that will make a difference, I can't tell if I am more excited, or scared about what I will be ready. I kind of really want to see what this is going to be getting me ready for. I mean, I just don't know any better way of being able to put it." After I had said that to Dana, I was seeing her nodding, as if feeling like she was able to sort of see where she was coming from.

"I think this is the first one that really made me really start to question the things that are happening at the town as a whole, and the first time that I feel like there was something much more sinister than some stupid fear or something. Like this is a man who has claimed that he is a certified expert on the matter, and telling me that this is something that he never thought he would be able to fully comprehend. The fact that he himself feels like there is something going on here that is beyond what he is able to envision makes me feel like something bad is going on." After Dana was saying that, she nodded at me, finally thinking that she was starting to think more and more on this whole thing being crazy than she would have ever thought that it could have been.

"But in all honesty, I think that there was something that made me feel like he was telling the truth beyond this. Beyond my sort of ideals on what he was trying to convey. His raw emotion. His actual real reaction to what he was saying. I could not look at him for a second and think that he was saying something for the sake of a narrative. If he was doing that, then he was clearly the best story teller this world has ever seen. But I seem to think that he had more to it than that." Dana was shaking her head, unable to know what else she was wanting to say here.

"Well, if you are so certain that something is going on, then I will just try to see what your word for it is. I mean, I am really interested in knowing what is going on here that makes you feel this way, so I will be going right into it, and not messing around at all. I think that this is too important for me to just wipe away." After I was done saying that, I felt like I would continue with the story that was being given to me.

As the notes continued, here were the next bits that were being given to me. "So after he was starting to explain some of the reasons why he was used to the strange stuff, he was telling me some of the things that went on that night. He had told me that he had shown up to his job as normal, not really even thinking too deeply on what he was doing. Just sort of wanting to do his shift, and then head home afterwards, sort of what he was always doing. Things went normally for about half an hour, and it was during his first smoke of the night when something was going on.

He noticed that a customer was taking a really long time examining the things in the store. Like longer than he had seen in several months. He said that he was used to the five minute trips, and every once in a blue moon, ten minutes, but anything beyond ten minutes was just unheard of. He had told me that this guy was in here for at least twenty five minutes, and still not picking out anything. At first he was not sure what to think, since that guy showed up only a few minutes after his shift began and barely paid attention. But that this was just too much.

So in a way to try and get the man to pick something or go, that was when our worker said something very to the point. He said that the store only had a thirty minute policy, and that if somebody was in a place longer than thirty minutes, then they were going to be forced to be kicked out for loitering. He said that he did not ever like to enact this rule. But that he would for the sake of his job, and the sake of doing what he was supposed to.

After he said the statement, that he told me was nice but firm, the man who was at the store looking around was coming right towards him with a simple thing of milk. The guy who was working there was telling me that he had no clue if the man was just getting the milk in order to buy something to not get kicked out, or if that was actually what he had wanted.

As the worker was cashing in the twenty five cents that were required for this, that was when the man was starting to just talk about how he had to enforce the policy as a way to make sure that the integrity of the business remained intact, regardless of if he had agreed with this idea or not. He was telling me that he literally had no clue what was going to happen next, even if this was not his first rodeo on the matter. I knew right away what he was building up to when he said not his first rodeo. I would have to be dumb to think that there was no real answer to what was going on.

He was saying that the man straight up took a gun out at him, and that the worker was just trying to keep himself calm. About once a year or so, something like this would happen, but usually the whole thing would calm down with simple diplomacy, and telling the person who was doing this that this would not be worth it. That he was going to get nothing out of actually trying to kill him, and that he would be locked up in jail.

But this guy flat out said that this man was different. Almost looking like he could not care less. He was looking like he wanted to kill this worker. This man specifically. After the man said that the worker had treated him unfairly in the past, and was beyond any form of turning back, that was when the worker there was just flat out saying that he was not able to really have any clue of what was going on, and that this whole thing was just being blown out of the water.

After he had flat out told the person doing this to him that he did not get it, the man was firing a warning shot at the ceiling, and then pointed it right at the worker again, trying to look like he was going to pull the trigger at this man. The man who had worked there for a long time by the standards of this job, and this was making him scared out of his fucking mind. For lack of a better way of describing it all.

There had been the occasional fights that the worker would go through, but he would describe the cases of those later, when he was in the middle of letting me fully understand this narrative as much as he was able to, and he was saying that the man was quite unwilling to mess around with this whole situation at all. He was looking like he would kill the worker, or else the worker would kill him. This was probably the first time he would seriously have to consider killing a man at this job. But as it was self defense, he knew that legally he was in the first on this issue shall it come to that.

That was when he was remember that there was a hand gun taped under the counter so that way nobody would notice it, and shall it needed to be done, the person who was working could be able to use it. The man with the milk was starting to click the gun back, and he was ready to fire the gun, but the worker decided to pull the spare gun from the counter and then fired it twice at the guy who had been planning on killing him. He was seeing the man fall down to the ground and for a second he was relieved that he had saved his own life, but horrified that he had taken another, regardless of the reason behind it all.

After he had shot that person dead, there was another thing that started to go on that scared him. Something that nobody would be able to understand if they were not there. The thing that was once a dead body started to change shape. It was growing and becoming something else. They did not know what they were supposed to expect. They had said that they had to fight a bunch of non human things before, but not a human that actually was then turning into something else. That was something he was never going to be ready for, no matter how much he was going to try.

He said that the monster was coming right towards him slowly, as if wishing to savor the moment that they were now in. The monster jumped on the man and started to at least try and eat at him. Then the worker kicked the monster away, hoping that doing something like this would have been able to buy him some seconds. Not that it would mattered much, but he was wanting to try and find a way through this, a way to get himself out of here.

The monster was seeing him getting out of this area, that was when the man was holding the gun again, and then he shoot the thing in the face a few times, to really kill it. Once this thing really was killed, they started to vanish a bit, leaving nothing besides like a black goo on the ground, which he was cleaning up before anybody noticed the damage of the place too badly.

After he had done that, he was refusing to admit that he was ever going to be ready for such a thing, and then started to just try and pretend like this never happened. But there was a couple of other things that had happened. And he was saying that since there were cameras of the store, he was able to go on and show people if what he had seen was real or not. That next day at work, he lied to his boss, and said that he had a theory that somebody stole something during his shift when he was out taking a quick smoking break and wanted to get a idea of what the item was to replace it or he could just pay for the item himself. His boss seemed to believe him, and then let him go view the previous days tapes, in which he was just going back, and viewing as closely as he could, to make sure that what he was seeing was either a hallucination, or something that genuinely happened." After the note was finishing up that part of his story, I was looking at Dana, now realizing how serious something like this could have been.

"Damn, this guy really must have gone through hell and back that night if what he was saying was true and stuff. I mean, I don't really know what else to be saying to this. I think that maybe there might be something here that is really important. That is going to be making a huge difference." After I was saying that to Dana, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to find something else to be saying here. I was seeing her looking like she was just feeling almost bad for the guy. In a way, I did not even feel bad for the way that she was feeling. In fact, what I was thinking in my mind was the validity to the feelings that she was actually having at that moment.

"I mean, you might not be able to really get it. I think that I will never get it. To be working at a place that you never had a problem with, but now that you are presented with things that you can't really be able to handle, it starts to build up on you, and you feel like you will never be ready for such a thing. I think that in a way, what he is feeling is what a normal person might be going through in their life, but in a way that might not be really understandable to the general person. At least not until what you are dealing with is just too much to really turn back on or anything like that." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was just unsure of what I was even going to be saying here.

In a way, I was just thinking about this conversation that we were having. This was all meant to be a casual hang out, at least that was what I was feeling like it was going to be. Now it was a large debate on perspective, all this other shit that I was not really sure if I was able to comprehend, or if I was wanting to really comprehend.

"I just think that the idea of trying to see what a man we have really gotten to know is going to be a bad idea. I think that maybe we need to start to be a bit more realistic on this whole thing, before we start jumping around like crazy. I think that there must be something that we are going to be missing if we do not look at this from a practical stand point. I don't know. That is the way that I am feeling at least." After I had said that, I was wondering what she was going to say to my comments on this matter. If she had any real agreements or disagreements even. I was at least kind of interested in knowing her side of things.

"I think that when you hear him, and you really get to see him, I think you would be able to understand why I start to feel so bad for that man. I think that what he is going through is something that I will never understand. Something I never want to understand. And that is something that I am willing to be fully taking with me. I think that when you get to see what it is like to be a man who has no idea what you are up against, how to be settled into the very reality that you live in, I would feel so bad for those guys. I think that in a way, he is fighting hard." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking so fucking confused at this whole thing. Confused in the way that she would never be able to fully grasp what the heck was really going on here.

"I think that maybe you are getting soft. I mean, it is none of my concern what you are feeling. But I guess that maybe I am just so lost on how to feel right now. I think that I wish that I could be able to really see it where you are coming from. But I think that it is something I have to see for myself. I mean, I want to really see it his way, since I think doing such a thing is going to be the only way that I can see the true problems of reality. But at the same time, I am unsure if I want to really see the problems of this place." I said, and then I was thinking about the fact that I was never going to be able to see it where anybody besides myself was coming from, and I would never see it in a way that would actually be beneficial.

"But Todd, if you feel like something is happening to you, then would you want somebody to try and help you out? I think that something like this could be rather important. Considering the fact that we are going to be seeing stuff that nobody in the world should be seeing on their own right. I think that we should all be ready for open talk." After she said that to me, I did not know what to say, but in the end, I knew that she was right.

"I know what I should be wanting, and I think that even if I don't get it, that does translate to me thinking that there is a good point this guy has. Maybe in a strange way, maybe I will be refusing to understand it until I finally got there. I think that maybe I just will have to try and go on and expand my horizons. If such a thing was even possible. But I think that maybe if I were to try ans make something come together as making sense for me, I would be throwing away literally everything that I had come to the conclusion of in my life up until this point. And you may not realize it yet, but such a thing is a powerful feeling of strange ness and confusion. I think that when I really pondering this, I feel like I am being a bit disrespectful to a lot of people. But in a way, I am almost finding myself not even caring anymore." I was shrugging, and I was an asshole even to myself, but at that moment, when I was speaking my thoughts, I didn't care. I was just thinking that being honest was better than lying to everybody, no matter what the cost of that was going to be.

"Well, I think that you should at least try and see it in the different perspective. I think that trying is the very least that one can be able to do." After she was saying that to me, I was then thinking about what we were even going to be doing now. I was thinking about how lost I was really at that right. "But Todd, do you want to try and see the truth for what it is? Do you want to be facing what is presented in front of you, even if it sucks ass to do so, just to finally have something of a answer here, or are you going to be trying to just pretend like none of this is happening." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her looking like she had wanted to see what I was even thinking at that moment.

"I am confused as to why you even care about this guy in the first place. I mean, you barely know him. To be honest, this whole thing just seems a bit odd. I mean, I think that there is something that has to be making you think that this is important, and I am just curious on why you are growing that way about something that is going on with a man who you will never meet in your life? I think that this is the least that I am deserving to know." I said, and then I was just seeing her even looking like she was unable to explain to me in a full way what was making her feel all of this stuff. But the way that she was looking at me indicated that this was really important, no matter what I was feeling.

"I think that I just have to try and see if what is going on here actually is going to affect him long term. I think that this is the least that this guy deserves. I think that this guy does deserve a chance to look like he would be able to get something going for him. I think that I am a wrong person if I would not be giving him that." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her shrug, as if thinking that she was never going to make a difference in my mind, but she was feeling like she needed to try at least.

"I will do my best. I think that this is the best that I will be able to grant you. This whole thing is just strange, and that is the very best way that I could be able to describe it all. I think that if I were to even try to explain it any other way, then I would be just lying to myself. I would be just lying about how awful this really is, and I would be lying about the fact that in a way, this whole thing is just the scariest thing that I have ever been confronted with. If I am open about that, then I will feel like I am going to be failing other people." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was wondering what the hell we were even going to be doing now, to make something like this even have a small chance of being able to work out at all.

This whole thing was just too much that I could even be thinking about. I think that when I was speaking to her, I should and could have been giving her more, but at the same time, this was just something that I felt like was going to be impossible. "Hey Dana, I know that I am being a bit rude about this, and I am very sorry for that. I think that maybe I am just sort of lost on this whole thing, for better or for worse. I think that if I were to try and find a better way to try and describe how I was feeling like, and then this way, we would be able to finally have some things in common here." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was then just wanting to keep her feeling better, and that I could be able to see where she was coming from with her obvious feelings for this guy. If what my preconceptions were telling me had been right.

"I think that over time, you will very well get to see what I am feeling here. I think that this is something that I will be right on, for better or for worse. I think that this is the one thing that I can be able to tell you and be right on. I mean, I think that this is just the one thing that I can be right with you with. I want to be able to at least try and get you on the way, but I am unsure if I can do that if you are not really willing to work with me on this in return." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking glad at what she was saying here, like this was something she had felt like was placing her on some form of high ground.

Before I was even thinking about going through more of this discussion, I was telling myself to just read the rest of this shit and get it over with. As I was reading this, I was seeing that this set of stories was wrapping up in a sort of close time. "Well, after he man who had been telling me this story looked at the tapes, and was really starting to understand what he was putting himself through, that was when he was really starting to realize everything else that was going on around him was true. He was starting to realize the true context of all of these monsters, and he was starting to realize that something was actually true about all the rumors that were going around here.

Memories started to really flood back to when I was at this gas station, and everything that seemingly did not make much sense at all, I was then starting to realize that there was something going on here. I was remembering the one time when I was hearing a loud noise outside the station, and I would decide to check what the noise simply was, and when I had done that, I saw that there was like a strange glowing like raccoon outside, and I was unsure of how I would take care of it. But I was slowly going back inside of the store, trying to ignore it for a bit, and I remembered that the store had a knife and a gun in case if I needed it, but I was telling myself that there was no way in hell I was going to need to use such a thing when I was fighting a raccoon for gods sake. I was thinking that maybe the thought of seeing that was a bit off.

The thing was that this was just one of my first times encountering such a thing here, and I was thinking that seeing that was just a bit off, and that I really had no idea of what better way that I could be able to describe it. But there was more serious things that happened. Things that I either lied about the true context of before, or just simply did not understand enough to really get it all.

I had remembered the one time that I had served a man who was purely wearing black. And no I am not talking about the guys with the black coat, although I would not be surprised if all of those people are up to something. I am talking about the fact that he had so much black attire and covered his face so well with the shadows he was having from this, that I could not even be able to see what he was looking like, and that was honestly kind of scaring me a bit.

When I was serving him, while I did not see his general face of composure, and I am sure that this was on purpose, I was actually seeing something that I new I would never be able to fully explain. The fact that he was having some form of like really long tongue. Like I could see the tongue going down a good two or three inches. I was kind of scared when I had seen that, as well as just really grossed out, and I was telling myself that perhaps he was just some form of person with a birth disorder.

At least that was what I had guessed at the time. But now that I stop and think about it, I remember seeing his hands, and I was seeing that this person had like really burned hands. Like they had been seriously scorched, and I was unsure of what happened to this man to cause such a injury. I did not have any idea what was going on with him, and I was really wanting to know what had happened to him, but at the same time, I knew that if I pressed at him, and tried to get something out of this man, then it was just going to be a nightmare to deal with.

I mean, I do not know if that was a man who was a monster, or a man who had fought some, or a man who had a job that required a lot of heavy duty that I could not be able to comprehend. I am unsure of what was going on here, and in a way, I was glad that for once, I was just keeping this to myself. That I was not pressing any matters on my own hands here.

But even if that is not conclusive evidence to the fact that there might be something else going on here, I think that what I am about to tell you about, and go into as good detail as I can, will be able to start to change your perspective on the matter at hand. I think that this was the thing that really jarred me into reality, and forced me accept the fact that not only were there monsters, but that said monsters were really going to be making a huge issue at this town, and that if I was not careful, these could be able to lead to my own death in a way.

I had been doing work about a week later, and this was my second to last day before I quit, and there was another man in black who had shown up. This was not the same one, as I could tell from his hand, and even if it was, I would have not realized it until much later when I would be forced to really remember such a thing again.

The man was telling me that he needed to discuss something very important with me. Something that can't wait at all, under any circumstance. I was thinking that this whole thing was relating to the monster attack that had happened a couple of days ago, but I was telling him that I would not be having this discussion because of the fact that I barely even knew what was going on, and besides there was no other worker at the store.

After I had said that to him, I was really hoping that it would have been enough for him to calm the hell down, and not be forcing any more discussion with me here. But when I was thinking that I was going to be able to get him away from this place, he was holding his hands up, and I was seeing that he was not really going to be working around this with me. He had a purpose here, and that was all that mattered. He told me that we would have this discussion here, regardless of what was going on with other people. Then he was talking out a recorder, and then he was starting to tell me the rules of this discussion.

He told me that he was going to ask me a question, and that I would answer the question. That he was going to want my honest answer on every single question asked, regardless of how pointless I may be thinking that it could be. I think that he was wanting to make sure that I was not going to be pulling a fast one on him. But seeing that look on his face, there was no way in hell I was going to be doing such a thing. I think that I had wanted to do such a thing, I would be sort of setting up my own funeral for such a thing. Besides, I did not really know much of what was going on here, so I was thinking that this could not be all that awful after all.

I told him that I would do the best that I can, but that there is a good chance that this might not be giving him the evidence that he would want, and that he needed to be understanding of such a thing. I was just really scared of this whole discussion, and I was thinking that if he was going to be doing this to me, then I was going to be really setting myself up for something I never thought was possible.

You may be wondering what I mean by that? I am not sure myself. I am never sure of anything anymore. I was just aware that in my mind, if this were to get worse, I would hate myself. I would hate what was going on here, and I would just be finding myself just totally opposed to what he was trying to accomplish. But I did it anyways." The next bit read, and then I looked at Dana before I would read the final bit of what this guy was telling me here.

"What the fuck is going on here? I mean, I have a feeling that something is happening here. I just feel it right now. From the way that he is describing it, I have a feeling that something is actually going on here. That is the main thing that scares the hell out of me right now." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was glad that I was actually being smart for once in my life.

"You are reading the story of a man who has basically felt like he is out of luck. That he might be dying soon as a result of his unawareness that he had of what was going on around him. I think that in a way, you are reading what could be one of the most important stories that this town has." After she had said that to me, I was seeing Dana looking totally serious with this assertion that she had been making. The fact that she did not look like she was joking about what she was saying at all was making me feel like I needed to be much more careful on what I was doing.

"I guess that when you are handling something like this, I can see why it would be considered so important. Why you are caring so much what everybody is saying about this. I thought that maybe you were letting some feelings go first in this whole outlook of the thing. Maybe I was wrong about such a thing." After I had said that, I was seeing her looking like she was not really wanting me to be pushing her this way, and that she was not wanting me to be saying something like that, in the way that it was embarrassing her to be saying this whole thing.

"I mean, there is something about him that is important. I think that there is something about that guy that can actually be seen as special. Even if it does not make much sense for me to say, I think that he is a good man, and he needs to be seen as such." After she was telling me this, I was seeing her looking like she was not wanting to say any more, in fear of how I would react. I did not really get why she was so worried about such a thing. But maybe with the way that I had treated this man, maybe she was having the proper feeling and fear to be thinking like this. As I was thinking that to myself, I was thinking that maybe I was a bad man, and that I needed to actually be considerate of where she was coming from much more than I had been so far, even if I did not get it.

"I just wish that I knew what was going on with him. I think that maybe one of these days, I need to meet him. I need to really talk with him, and see what was going on with him. See what I can be able to learn. When I learn the truth of what is going on in there, then I feel like I will be able to start to understand everything for what it is. I mean, there is something about him that I feel like I need to give a honest chance over." I said, and then I was thinking that this was probably the best thing that I had said about him, trying to sort of finally come together with the fact that he was finally a man that I felt like I needed to see the value of.

"I think that I can try and find a way to make you guys meet up, and when I do that, then I think that we can be able to get something to work here. I think that when the two of you understand what is going on at both of your minds, then I think that the two of you might even be able to start to work together. And I think that something like this is very important to at least try and make work." After Dana had said that to me, I was then starting to slowly accept the idea that maybe this was the best way to move forward. That this was the only way that I can be able to have any chance of really getting to understand what the hell was happening here. Which was something that I wanted to do, even if it was going to be fucking impossible to really work out, I just think that it was the least that I could do.

"But Dana, do you think that he will ever be able to be willing to talk to anybody again anyways? Do you think that there is a solid chance that he will only want to talk with you because he feels like he will be able to trust you? I think that this is something that could very well be possible." I said, and then I was thinking about what I had just said, and the fact that I was actually trying to get to know a man who I had only knew in some notes earlier.

"Besides, he is a man who just quit his job. We need to be realistic. There is a good chance that he will not stick around in the town for much longer. He might be finding the idea of doing such a thing to be pointless. Or maybe he is at a different job and you will never be able to see him again. I think that this is a valid concern to be having." I said, and then I was seeing her looking a bit unsure of what I was meaning, and why I was even trying so hard at this now.

"I know that he had quit his job, and probably is not going to be very easy to find and all of that stuff, but I feel like we need to at least try and find some way to make sure he is feeling like there is somebody who is out there, somebody who is hearing his voice of concern. I think that if he does not have that, then things are only going to be getting worse, and I am unsure of what I would feel over something like that." After Dana was saying that, I was seeing her compassion slowly start to take over for me, and I was feeling like maybe I needed to try and see where she was coming from.

"I guess that maybe when there is something that shows he needs the help, then maybe we can be able to try and make something work. But unless if something like that happens, then I have no idea what we are going to do to make a difference. I think that we are going to be lost on our own here. I think he will come to us if he needs such a thing. Or I am actually kind of hoping that he would, if he is not stubborn or anything like that." I was saying to her, just unsure of if I was even going to be making her see my perspective, and I was unsure of if I was even going to be getting her to see what I was even feeling now.

"But what if he does not have the courage to try and seek out somebody for help? What if he tries to act like he had to be alone? I think that when he is going to be doing something like that, he is only going to be making things even worse for himself. And I am unsure of if I want to watch that happen. I think that I need to at least try and make sure that he is going to have something to show him that he is not alone here." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was just desperate for me to be able to see where she was coming from here.

I guess when I was seeing the way that she was wanting to get me to see it her way, I knew that I was going to be a monster if I did not do such a thing. Well, a monster in her eyes at least. And I did not want simple disagreements to be getting in the way of the fact that I was wanting us to be getting along. I wished that she was not in that spot where she was feeling like I did not have any compassion for her, which sucked, because all I was wanting to do was just be realistic here.

With that, I was looking down on the paper, and I was seeing that there was a full transcript of the conversation that was he was having right now. I was shocked to be seeing that this man had literally wrote down everything now. I was starting to think that when I was seeing this, that there was no way that he would have made this up.

"The man had told me to sit down, and I forced myself to be doing so, despite my every growing best interest. As I was sitting across from him, I was seeing him smile, as if really enjoying seeing me here. Enjoying the sight of a guy such as myself finally looking like he had lost the battle. 'So the first question I am going to be asking is this: What types of monsters have you been encountering so far? Doesn't matter what the scope of them really are, I think that every single one of these are very important.'

As I had seen him looking at me, I was then thinking about his question, and then I was slowly nodding, feeling like I did have the answer that he would have wanted. 'Well, the thing is that I don't have that many that I can say for sure that I have seen. I did see a glowing raccoon, as if it had a bad symptom of radiation or some shit. I mean, I would never know what was going on with that thing. And there was another one that I had seen. And this second one made me very tempted to just quit my job the very moment that I had seen it.'

The man looked at me, as if glad to be seeing that I had let something like this slip. I was sighing, feeling like I should have been keeping all of this to myself. 'What did you see that scared you this badly? This next part of the interview is very important. I want you to tell me what you know, as well as you can.'

I was unsure of what to be telling him, so I was thinking about the best way to get the story told, while also not forcing him into all of the little details that to be honest, I did not even really think mattered all that much. 'I was doing my job, and when I was in the middle of my shift, there was a guy who stayed around way too long, and then he took out a gun at me and yelled about how I treated him awfully and he was about to kill me. I fired back with the store gun, and then he fell down, and then turned into a monster and tried to kill me. I killed them first, and then was left scarred after that. Feeling like I needed to just get over what I had actually seen here.'

When I had given him this answer, he was sort of looking at me, as if wishing that I would be able to give him more details. He was feeling like there was something that I was leaving out of this entirely on purpose or something. I mean, he was not entirely wrong, but I did really want to be admitting this. 'What else have you been able to figure out over time? Do you have any other stories that you will be able to tell me? Every single one of these is very important, and I want to know all of them.'

I was honestly thinking about what he had asked me, and I was unsure of why he even cared so much, but I did not want him to be commenting on this. I was scared of what he was really looking for, and that was the main reason I did not push for too many details. 'The thing is that I feel like I can't name off too many things. I mean, I feel like I have seen some crazy shit, but nothing too awful. I mean, one time, I was feeling like I had heard a voice calling out towards me, but I did not know what the voice was, so I did not go out to it. I mean, I would not be stupid enough to go out and actively seek something that I knew was probably going to be getting me killed.'

The man was looking like he was starting to not really have all that much to be going off of, and that he was just wishing that I would be able to just get something for him to go off of now. 'I need to know what exactly this voice was telling me, and when you do that, I think that I will be able to have something to go off of here.' After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to force it out of me, but that if he did that, he would be losing what little ground that he had, and it would not work out anyways.

Besides, for a few seconds, I did not even know what the voice was saying. At least at first I did not. So when he was asking me, and almost forcing me to tell him something, I just could not be able tell him this. 'Well, now that I think about it, I think that I did know some of the things that the voice was telling me. They were calling out to me, almost wanting me to go out and reach it. Probably the voice of a teenager early in development, which means that I would not be able to tell if it was a boy or girl. The voice was almost sounding like they had wanted me to try and help them. But I did not get it, and I think that this was why I did not do anything about it. Besides, even if I did know, I would not have gone out and checked it, because while I may have been confused, I was never going to be stupid.'

I had no idea what the hell was even going to be going on at this point. The man was looking like he needed to know every single detail of my story, but did not know how he was going to be getting me to know that he was being serious about this. 'Do you feel like you should have gone in and tried to help them out? Or do you feel like it was not even a real situation? I think that this is what I really need to know. After all, there is a small chance that you have left some people to be hurting or even worse. I think that there is a chance that you are going to have to accept this whole thing more.'

After I was hearing him say that, I was starting to think about it a bit. I did not really know what to be saying here. I felt like this whole thing was just too strange for me to handle. And I did not know if I was wanting to really have any idea of what to say. 'I think that we just have to look at the facts at hand. This whole thing is just a bit hard to really understand. I think that I just have to tell you that maybe there is nothing going on. Or at least nothing that I can actually help you out with. I think that regardless of if you like it or not, we are going to have to find a way to figure out what we are even doing here. I think that you are going to have to know what to learn alone.'

I was thinking about the fact that he knew what to tell me. He was going to want to find a way to make me come off as the bad guy. I just knew it. But I was not really wanting to deal with that, no matter what. But before I could even think of something to say, he was already jumping to something. 'I think you're right. I know that you are not going to really give me what I need. For better or for worse. So I might have to find a way to just figure this out on my own.' After he was saying that, he stood up, and then left the gas station, and then I was starting to feel relieved, and then I was angry at what I was doing. I shook my head, hating what I had been going through, and that was the main reason I quit the next day. I just could not take it anymore." After the recording said that, I was looking at Dana, and I was trying to find something else to say, if I could talk at all.

"Alright, I guess that maybe there is much more to this than I ever thought that there was going to be. I guess that you are beating me with this. But I am just unsure of what the hell I am supposed to be saying besides that. I have no idea what I am even going to think of the stuff that I am reading. I mean, I am hearing all about how these monsters are real, and this just seems like a lot of information to be taking in at once. I think that you will be able to see that maybe this guy might not really want to think about it anymore. I think that he might be wanting to put this all away from his life." I said, and I was just trying to say this in a realistic light. But I doubted that something like this was even going to be possible to really comprehend at all.

"But Todd, now that you are aware of what we are really dealing with, do you think that you are going to be trying to get ready for it all? Do you think that you are going to try and fight whatever is ahead of us?" After Dana had asked me that, I was shrugging, feeling like I was going to be totally lost on all of this in the end. I did not really know what the hell I was going to be saying at all, since this whole thing was just a lot to be handling at once.

"Besides, I think that now that we are going to see what we can do, I am going to have to try and understand what you will be able to do about it. I talked to you about this because I felt like you were the best one to try and take this whole thing on. I felt like you were going to be the one who was going to be able to actually go on and make some difference. I really hope that this can prove to be true." After Dana had said that to me, I was trying to find a way to be honest with her, but at the same time, I did not know if I could be honest with myself, on any of this nonsense, no matter what.

"I am just going to see what I can do. I can't make any promises though. One thing I will say is that I want to see what I can do to help out. I want to see if this is going to be the fate that I am set for. And if it is the fate that I will be having to deal with, then I want to at least be able to accept the life that I am going to be having here. I just want to make sure that there is no other way before I really start to fall on it." After I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was just wanting to make me a bit more convinced on all of this, but she was just wanting to see what could happen now.

"Well, I guess that you are starting to sort of see what you are really wanting to accomplish. But I guess that maybe you are just in that stage of getting over it. I mean, I need to start to respect that a bit more. I mean, I know that you are not a bad person, and I can't treat you as such. I am just a bit worried about what will happen if you do not do this. That is all that is really bothering me about this right now. I just think that maybe there is something that is still needing to be accomplish through all of this." After she was telling me this, I was seeing her looking maybe Dana was just wanting to find a way to make it seem like we were going to make some sense out of this whole ordeal.

"I think that when I tell the others about this, then they might be able to start to have a sane answer for me. Something that I can be able to rely on. If such a thing is something that I can even do." I said, and then after I was suggesting the idea of just telling our crew this, that was when she was holding up her hand, as if telling me that this was just not going to be a good idea. That this was a terrible idea because she was starting to see where I was coming from at least to some extent after all.

"Alright, well if you tell people this, then I think that you are going to possibly be getting them in danger or killed. I mean, I am sorry for bringing you into this, and I know that I am sounding like a real hypocrite when I say this, but I think that we really should not be telling a damn person in the world what this is like right now. If we lie about this whole thing, then they might be able to have a small chance of being able to survive through this whole thing. I think that this is truly the best that we can be able to fight for right now." After she had said that to me, I was unable to believe her. But despite the way that I was feeling at that moment, I was starting to think that she could be right on this.

"I guess you really think that I can accomplish something if you really think that only letting me know is the best route. I am not too sure how to feel about that, but I guess that I just need to take that badge you are giving me in a way, and just see what I can even do to make this whole thing at least start to work out. I think that this is the only thing that I really can do, even if I was wishing for more to come my way." I said, and then I was thinking that this responsibility was one that I needed to be a real man about, and not brush away like a fucking coward, no matter how hard it would be.

"Well, you are not a bad person for just trying to find a way to not get yourself in danger. You are just a man who wants to find a way to be able to look at things logically. I think that I am going to get it soon enough. I think that you do need to keep the group out of this though. If you do not, then you are going to be feeling awful for everything that is going on, and I would not want you to be going through that. I think that you would never forgive yourself, and that is the main reason that I am going to try and find a way to make it so that none of this ever happens to you." After Dana was saying this, I was just thinking about the life that I was going to be trying to live in a way.

"I think that I am glad that you are showing me this stuff. It does give me a chance to try and do something smart for once in my life. It gives me a chance to try and actually be a man who is going to make a difference. And that is something that nobody else has ever given me. And I am feeling like that is something that I do need to try and return to those around me. But I think that if I talk any longer on this, I will be trying to convince myself out of it. And I doubt that doing that will be really helping anybody out at all." I said, and then after I had said that to Dana, I was wondering if she ever got it on her own. If she was able to really see what I was meaning about everything sort of just being hard to really understand in a way.

"I do wonder why you even feel the need to do this all. Or is this just some sort of messed up wanting? I am just more interested in knowing if this is a unhealthy habit or if this is something that you feel like you actually need to figure out. I mean, I feel like I deserve to know when I am looking at this. I think that it is the least that I should be have given to me. I think that it is the only thing that can make sense out of any of this." I said, and then I was thinking about the fact that I was being a bit of a dick over this whole thing, for no real good reason.

"I don't think that it is anything beyond the fact that I know that if nobody takes any form of responsibility, then nothing will ever get done. I just know that I can do something, and that I can be able to make a difference if I actually go on and really make people listen to me. I know that such a thing is going to be a bit pointless, but in a way, I am just finding myself not caring at all." After Dana was saying this to me, and I was just telling myself that maybe one of these days, I would be able to start to see where she was coming from, but in a way, I felt like maybe I was going to have to expand my horizon.

"I know that what you are saying makes some sense right now, I am just having a hard time really wrapping my mind around this whole thing. I think that when I am over it all, then everything is going to be fine now. I think that I just have to find a way to make some sense out of what we are doing." I said to her, and then I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to find a way to help me out here. "I think that when I finally make some sense out of this, then I will help people out, and then it is going to truly come together. I think that this is the best that I can be able to really do." I said, and then I was thinking that no matter how many times I say this, and no matter how repetitive this had gotten, I could not get my point across enough to myself. I think Dana got it. I think it was that back part of my mind that was refusing to let the subject go, for some strange reason.

"I can see that there is that part of you that is wanting to do this. I think that you know that this is the only way to make peace with your mind right now, and that is why you are saying all of that. I think that you are making a good case here and that you are showing people that you care. I think that this is what you can truly do to make a difference. But at the same time, I feel like I have to see what you are going to do when you finally make peace with what is going on here." After she had said that to me, I was looking down a bit now.

"I think that when I go home tonight, and really think about it all, then I will finally come to a choice. I feel like when I come to a choice, and I know what I am going to be wanting to do, then I will come and help out. I think that the road to getting there is the hardest part. But in the end, I know that it will be worth it. It will be worth all the uncertainty. Actually just going out and making something of difference, when I can get my mind to shut up on it and to actually get some results worked on here." I was finally feeling like I was a weak man who was confessing his weakness in a way, and trying to redeem himself as I was speaking with Dana, and giving her my honest thoughts on it all.

I was thinking about when I should be heading home, considering how late it was getting. When I thought about it for a few minutes, I was then deciding that maybe that time was now for once. That maybe I better actually listen to my mind for once, and that I should not be fucking around, and not be making any real mistake on what was going on now. "Well, I do think that speaking of getting home, we have been hanging out for a while, and I think that maybe I should be wrapping up now, and just getting this done with. Let me think about it for tonight, and let me come back to you when I feel like I have made my full choice. I think that this is the least that I can do."

Dana seemed to look like she was accepting of this statement, but was standing up to want to help me out. "I think that you really should be taking this book though. Maybe you can find out what you believe, or don't believe. I think that this might be of use for you more than you realize." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was truly meaning what she was saying, and I was nodding, feeling like this was all that I could do now.

"I will try to give it a look, and see what I am going to be believing on this whole thing. I think that this is literally the only thing that I could be able to do right now." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was holding the book as tightly as I could. I was thinking about what was even going to happen now. I was thinking that the best that I could do was just read it for a while longer, get an answer, and then just be done with it all. I was thinking that the reading was the only thing that would make any difference in the choice without having to debate anymore. Without having views shoved in my face.

The entire time that I was walking back home, I was thinking about the long conversation I had just had with Dana. I was thinking about how off this whole thing was, and what the hell I was even going to be doing to actually come with an actual opinion on what was happening here. I felt like I was never going to have anything to work with. I was feeling like I was just going to be lost on my own, and that maybe Dana was having an actual idea to help me along here, if I was going to just be mature enough to see such a thing. But I did not really have any clue.

Besides, I was having a strange feeling that none of this even mattered. We were all going to probably die if these monsters were real. So why would it even matter if I decided to tell our friends or not? I think that if I wanted to actually help, then I would have told them what was going on. I felt like at least with that, I would give them some chance to live. But I guess that such a thing was just going to be too much to really be shooting for.

I was realizing how much people would not really care what was to be happening with me. People would not care if I lost it all or not. At least, that was what I had felt when I was just thinking about it all. As much as I was just sort of sounding like a stupid edge lord when I was saying this. But I guess that maybe I was just feeling really insecure about what was going on here.

I thought that if for nothing else, I would be able to try and just finish reading this story, and when I was done reading this story, then I would be able to come up with some form of an idea on what the heck I was going to be needing to do from this point forward. I needed to find a plan, no matter what that plan was going to be, and I was going to have to help make sure that this plan actually worked out in the end.

Besides, I was thinking that if I was wanting some form of a exciting life, then I guess that this was the route that I needed to go. At least this was giving me a choice on what to do. At least this was giving me a purpose. It was a lot to take in, but I knew that I had to try. I think that this was all that I could have done. But at the same time, I was wanting to just read the rest of these stories, and finally come to some form of not only conclusion to this town, but an idea of what the heck I was going to try and use as a strategy guide going forward.

I eventually got inside of my house, and when I was inside, I was just unclear on what I was going to do this time. I was heading right towards my room, and I was not even going to be giving my parents a chance to rat me out here. But I did notice how strange it was when there was literally no noises going on at this house. I think that when I heard that, I was just confused more than anything else in the world. I was wanting to know what my parents were doing. Since they clearly must have been onto something if they were not here right now.

I was thinking that I would start to look at this house to find something that could help me out. But at the same time, I was feeling like that was just not going to be happening any time soon. I felt like when I would see my parents again, they would just tell me that they were looking for me or something. Then I would get yelled at, but at the same time, I was going to be glad to be seeing that they were even safe in the first place. I was just thinking that this was more important than not getting in trouble.

Despite my better judgment and not wanting to do this, I was waiting for about three to five minutes, just really wanting to see if there was something that I was missing out on. When I realized that they were really not here, I was sighing, thinking about what I was going to be doing now. I was thinking about the fact that I had no clue what they were going to be doing, and that I better not waste any more time on this when I knew that they would not want me to be doing something like this. I would think that they would eventually want me to get over it, and just get along with my own thing.

I was shaking my head, telling myself to get it over with, and then once I was done with this, I would go on and continue to just do my reading, and see what I would even learn from that thing now. I was thinking that this reading was the most important thing that I could be doing. I felt like there was going to be a increase of standard that she was going to be having for me, and that I just needed to try my best to be able to go on and get this whole thing together.

I was then just opening up the notes to the fourth entry, trying to decide what the heck was going on here. I had no clue what I was going to expect, and in a way, that fear was the scariest thing. The fact that I was reading a story that I had no idea where it was going to be all leading up to at the end.

I opened up to the fourth story, after I felt like I had done enough to read and listen to Dana's thoughts on the third story, and I was kind of just tired of listening to that whole third story thing. I feel like I could go the rest of my life without dealing with that third story ever again to be totally honest. The fourth story pretty much kicked off like this: "So that last story was a bit much, and I think that maybe it was quite a load to handle for this early on in my search. So I feel like I will just find something else to talk about, something that will be a lot less to handle.

This story was with a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was looking like she was just wanting to find somebody to talk to that she knew would not judge her, and she was feeling like this was going to be the best route that she would be going off of here. She was thinking that if she told anybody else what she was dealing with, then they were going to be telling her that either she was lying, or be laughing at her and his misfortune.

She told me that she was unsure of what to be talking about here. She had said that she wanted to have a proper answer for what her experiences were, but that maybe since I had been looking into this for a couple of weeks now, that I was more able to learn what was happening here, and that I was going to be able to finally just put her on the path to getting over this whole thing.

I was thinking that she was probably just spooked over nothing too bad, and that there was nothing that would be too bad about what she was telling me. At least not compared to the guy who had talked with me earlier. I was both right and I was wrong at the same time. Let me explain.

She was telling me that the story started off when she was hanging out with her friends one time after school. This was about three weeks or so before the school year ended, and she was just going to be trying to go home in an hour or two. She wanted to hang out later after school, but not go so over the top with it that her parents would be thinking that she was doing something like illegal or something. She was wanting to make her parents feel like she was having at least some form of being aware of what they were going to be like if she was to try and pull that stuff off. Anyways, so as her friends were hanging out with that girl, the three of them were just talking about random things at school and stuff. Not thinking too much about what they were actually doing.

She talked about this one guy who she was planning on asking out and stuff. She had said that she was going to give it a try in a couple of days, just to see what he would say. And if he said no, then after some time, she would either try again, or just try to find a different person. She said that it did not make much sense to her when people say that she did not need to go on and date, when she was just wanting to go out and try to have one date in her life, just to see what it was like.

She felt like one date was going to be a rather easy thing to manage. But as she was saying that to her friends, she was hearing some random noises and she did not know what the noises were. She was thinking that it was just some person who was just being really loud for no good reason. For a minute or two, she managed to just brush it off, and pretend like nothing mattered, and that she just misheard something, or heard something that really did not matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

But as she was doing this, she was only able to really deflect the main thing that was bothering her for a while longer. As she was trying to pretend like this was never happening, there was a loud noise that was continuing, and both her and her friends were getting to that point where they were not even going to be able to brush this off anymore. So they went inside of the friends house, and agreed to wait until the noises were gone before she went home, since when she was actually paying attention, she knew that it was much more than just a simple person doing something at their house.

Once they were all inside of the house, that was when she was asking her friends if she had any idea what this thing was. None of them really had a response to this question, and they were all thinking that maybe she was just thinking too deeply into this whole thing. She was wanting to believe that something like this was the truth, but at the same time, she was just unsure of if this was actually the truth. She felt like maybe something surely must have been going on.

But as this was happening, the noises continued, and then she was hearing something like a car door closing. As she had heard that, she was standing up, feeling like there was something that was now going to be going down. She looked right at her friends, trying to find something else to say. But that fear in her mind was too much to really brush off. So with that, she was just telling herself to not think about it any longer." After I had read that, I was unsure of what to be feeling.

I mean, in a strange way, I was feeling like I would be able to relate to this woman in the sense that I felt like maybe we were both seeing something that we could not comprehend, and the sight of something that we could not understand was just a bit hard for us to handle. We felt like we were sort of in a lonely area, and that I just felt like maybe this was what I would like.

Always going to be wondering what the hell I was even doing. I felt like if I did not get a proper answer soon enough, I would brush it off soon enough, and act like it was not all that big of a deal. But at the same time, I was feeling like maybe I was just needing to try to find a way to tie these stories together. I had a feeling that there was something that was tying the stories to one area, and that if I could find that one common connection, then I might be able to see what I would be able to do to make things come together for the better.

If this was all tied together, and something was driving everything forward, then I felt like this was going to be very important to fully understand, and that I could not let a single detail get loose. But at the same time, I was still not sure what the twist of this story was, and that was something that I felt like I needed to figure out before I even got a step further on this. I had felt like I was just going to have to find a way to make them see that I was not going crazy for thinking that there was a connection. I mean, there just had to be, and when I try to explain why I feel that way, I think that you might be able to finally understand where I am actually coming from on this.

The thing is that when you have one random case here, it is something that you can be able to brush off. It is something that you can explain as a strange happening, and then you can just shake it off and move on. When there are several, and enough to make a whole book out of it, then you clearly can see that this is not just a story that you can be able to write away. This is a story that goes much deeper than anybody could really fathom. This is a story that just has to have a common origin point or something like that. Such as one thing that did actually start all of this in the first place. I mean, I just felt like when I was being realistic, I needed to not look at the singular stories, and look at the over all product to some extent.

I was telling myself to just focus on the notes again, and at least finish this story, and see what I could be able to do to learn everything that I really needed to actually know. "So after she was starting to hear the car door close, and she was thinking that something was going to be happening soon, there was the fear of god, as she called it, going through her mind, and she was feeling like she had to find a way to get out of this, and not be getting herself in danger.

She was opening the blinds, and she was seeing two guys coming out of the car, and one of them was taking out a cigarette, and smoking it a bit casually. Then with that, the one who was not smoking took out something like a knife, and then started to walk towards the house door, and she was just sitting down, and she was looking at her friends, both of them were looking scared out of their mind, since they had seen what was happening as well. Both of them who were with her had no idea what they were even going to be doing. Besides maybe locking the door and just hoping that this could be able to buy them some time or something like that. When the door was being kicked a bit, that was when the three girls knew that they would have to fight in order to make sure that there was nothing that would be able to take them away. They truly thought that maybe they were going to have to fight and kill that guy, even if he was stronger, and older, and more experienced than them.

Eventually, the door was kicked down and nothing could be done about it. The guy who was having the knife was looking at the three girls, and one of them was starting to freak out. She was trying to run out of the house, but he stopped her when she was only a few feet away from her other two friends. The man just stabbed her in the chest seven times, and she had died before there was anything that either one of her friends could have done something about it. Then the guy was walking to the other friend, and then he just grabbed her by the shirt, and started to drag her to the car, no matter how much she tried to fight back, and pleaded at her friend, the narrator of this piece, to get her safe. But she stood there, shocked at what she was seeing, and unable to move at all, even if she had known that it was the only correct thing to be doing.

When the two were out of the house, she opened up the window, and ran out, closed the window, and started to run away as fast as possible. She never ran so fast and so far in her life. She went behind a tree about a mile or two away, and then she hid behind there for almost an hour, and then when she gave up, she walked home, and pretended like nothing happened. And she never revealed what had happened at all to anybody, until this story."

I had been shocked when I had read this. She watched a friend of hers get murdered, and then pretty much let the other one suffer the same or at least possibly similar fate. I mean, I did not know if that was a terrible thing she did, or if she was just looking out for herself and being realistic. I think that when I put my mind to it, I can't be able to really tell one what I would be feeling about this whole thing. I just felt like there must have been something that she was doing, something that probably made her feel too scared to keep going.

In the end, this whole thing was just feeling a bit out of touch. A bit sudden, and I was thinking that maybe she would live with the guilt of possibly letting her other friend get killed, when she could have fought. But then again, when I am being realistic with myself, and if I was in that, I needed to ask myself if I would have saved my friend. If something were to happen to me, would I have stuck around just to just let my other friends possibly be saved, or would I be stepping in and actually try to keep myself safe, because I knew that by doing that, I was giving myself something to fight for at least. It was a interesting set of thoughts that I was having here, and I felt like I was finally starting to actually think things through in a more deep and honest light.

I was shaking my head at this whole thing, at the fact that I was basically admitting that I was a piece of shit who would have fought for himself before I would fight for somebody else. As I was thinking about that, I was wondering how they would feel if they knew that about me. If they knew what I was like at this rate. I was thinking that maybe my thoughts on her were not justified, when I was actually truly thinking about how I would have been, and how I would have taken the matter at hand.

I was thinking that maybe I was going to be the person who everybody would be having false hope for, but then when they are starting to see that I was a fraud, then they might be able to start to see that maybe I was going to be fucked no matter which road I was going to be taking. That was something that I was not super in love with admitting, no matter how much I was not wanting to deal with this. But I was just going back to reading this next bit, to see what else was on here.

"After she had returned home, she had heard the news the next day about the event. She was thinking that the longer she did not reveal her part in this whole thing, the better that it was going to be. She did not want anybody to be blaming her for what had happened, and that as long as anybody wax concerned, nobody knew what was going on that night, and that if her friend was ever found, then she would just pretend like nothing ever happened. She wanted to be safe before anything else. She had no problem with justice trying to be fulfilled, but she wanted nothing to do with that if it meant getting her in legal trouble. She was putting herself first and foremost.

There was a small funeral that was held a week or so later for the murdered girl, and then her friend had the missing case basically given up after a few weeks to a month, and everybody was slowly moving on from this whole thing. The missing cases happened so much that anything after a month or two just could not even create a reaction anymore, regardless of if such a thing was a shitty reaction to be making. But at the same time, there was always that small part of her that was feeling like there was a small guilt over what happened.

When she had told me all of this, I broke out of my stance on being unbiased from the story and I was asking her some questions, feeling like I just could not be able to understand what the hell was going on with her. I needed to see what her issue was, and if this was starting to break in any way. I asked her why people would be laughing at her if she ever told anybody this, since I was failing to be seeing where that reaction could be able to come from in the first place.

She had said that people would be laughing at her because they would say that they did not believe in her. That they would be feeling like she was lying about this whole damn thing. I think that she was just feeling like there was nothing on earth that could actually be making this whole thing happening. She said that people would also laugh because when they would accept that this was the truth, everybody would be too angry at her to really know how else to react. They would act like it was funny.

She said that people would be laughing as a way of grief. I was starting to feel like as I was listening to her telling me this, and I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to see what I could say here, that maybe I was starting to fully understand where she was coming from. I was thinking that maybe she was not actually too off about this. I did not know how to believe this, but I was seeing her looking too certain on it for me to not be able to believe in it.

I just was trying to see how I would be able to know what was going on in her mind. I felt like when I was seeing her looking like this, and she was looking like she was sort of wanting me to get it, I was just feeling like maybe this was going to be the hardest thing in the world for me to do. I was thinking that this would be even harder than anything that I have ever done before. But I guess that it was the task that I was undertaking when I decided that I would be looking into this whole thing. That I was going to have to accept the fact that there are some things going on that I would never be able to fully understand. But I was telling myself that I just had to at least try.

I was telling her that she was going to be able to find her way through this eventually. That she just had to be able to be strong, and tell herself that her friends would want her to be at peace as well. As I was telling her this, I was seeing her shaking her head, and telling me that this was something that she would never be able to get over, no matter how hard she would try. That this was something that was going to eat the back of her mind, no matter how long it has been since the event. She had straight up said that she still gets nightmares of that girls body laid across the floor as if it was the one thing she would never comprehend.

I told her that simply things were going to be getting rough, and that while I would never understand it, or I hope that I would never understand what she was talking about, I told her that I did know what it would be like to be scared. I said that once people told me these stories, and now that I am actually already on my fourth one, I knew that this was something I could never forgive myself on, and that I hated the nightmares I would sometimes have now.

She had asked me what type of nightmares that I was having. I decided that I would be honest with her. That I was basically imagining the monsters killing me. And not only killing me, but basically having fun slowly dragging it out as it went on. As if it was wanting me to know the fact that there was no way I was going to get out of this. I was having dreams that it would not even stop at me, but that it would kill those who I had cared about, and basically made everything I worked for pointless. She nodded and told me good luck as she got up and left the house, leaving me with nothing." The note said, finishing up, and then all that was left was her final thoughts on this.

"In all honesty, I have no idea what to think of this story. I think that she is telling the truth, and that is the thing that makes me mad. The fact that she had seen something like this, and did nothing about it. I can't tell what I would be doing if I was in that whole thing. I feel like I should have been more open about how I had felt on this, but I had felt like I would not be getting anything out of it, so I decided that I was just not going to speak much on it.

I mean, sure you may argue that if I was in her spot, I might have done the same. And that is possibly true. I might have been too scared to fight if I was in her spot. I think that something like this is a very real possibility. But in all honesty, if I am like that, if I am too scared to actually fight, and too scared to try and avenge the death of somebody, then I think that maybe I have made a mistake in my life.

Who knows, maybe I need to be more polite about it so to say. But I just have a very hard time imagining myself not doing anything at all. I feel like even if it got me killed, I would have tried. I think that trying would have been the one thing that I would have done that would make me feel better. That was going to be the one thing in my life that would be making me feel like I actually had done something good. I mean, sure getting these stories together may help. But in the end, that is all fruitless if nobody believes in me. If nobody believes that this story is true, then what the heck is the point of any of this? I don't know, I just feel like I have to be realistic on what I am looking at now.

I just think that I am going to forever feel conflicted on this matter, because you know that I am not in this spot. Until I am in this spot, I will never feel like I can be able to give a true answer. I feel like my answer is always going to be false, no matter what I am going to be wishing for. But I guess that maybe I am just sort of undecided. I think that maybe I have to see the rest of these stories before I am able to fully know what type of life that I would be living. And only then, when I make my mind up, would I be smart enough to finally feel like I am putting this information to good use. The quest for knowledge is a scary one I guess." The note finished, and I was seeing that maybe there was a level of humor she was trying to convey here, but sort of failed on.

I was then just looking down on the ground, trying to know what the hell I was going to tell Dana when I was done with this, and I would see her again, I was seeing that this whole thing was going to be fucking impossible. That was all that I was going to be able to describe it as. Just fucking impossible, and that if I was going to even attempt to make this come together, then I was going to be making things only worse for other people.

I was thinking that if I were to even try and say something to Dana, she would never start to see what I was meaning. She was going to be telling me that I needed to try and see what she was wanting to accomplish. Her great vision, and the vision that she had felt like was going to be helping out in its own way. I guess that if I were to try and help her see what I was feeling, then she was going to finally come through. But unless if I really knew what I was saying, and I knew how to make her feel better, then she was going to be feeling like neither one of us were going to be making anything work out at all, and that this was all a waste of our time. I was thinking that I would need to try and find a way to make her feel better.

Then I was getting on my bed, just sort of wondering to myself why I was even caring what they were all going to be saying around me. I was starting to think that if I was to keep things to some level of composure, then I was going to need to go above and beyond. I was going to have to act like I had the answers. In a way, I never was going to be having the answers. The answers were something that I wished that I would be able to provide in spades, but I knew that I was never going to have. I was never going to have the one thing that I cared about. I was never going to have the one thing that I felt like would have made a real difference in the long run. And in a way, I was unsure of if this was a fate that was a cruel one, or a fate that I felt like was going to be a good one. I guess that maybe I was going to just have to act like I knew what was going on now. For the sake of those people who were going to be around me in the future.

I was then sort of wondering what the hell I was even going to be trying to accomplish by all of this. I did not know if I could be able to accomplish anything at all. I was feeling like when I was done with everything, and I was finally going to be sort of off doing my own thing, then I was just going to have to finally go on and find a way to save the people who were around me. Saving them was the one thing that I knew I needed to try, and I knew that if this meant I had to fight monsters, then I was just going to have to fucking do it. Even if it was the worst choice of my entire life.

I was not even wanting to know what I would do if this failed. How I would recover, and try to make it look like I did not mess up more than anything else in my entire life. I was feeling like this was something that I could have and should have planned more out on, but just did not because I was too young and too dumb to be doing so. I was feeling like every single thing that was going on here was entirely my fault, and that was something that I was just needing to sort of accept. Even if I was thinking that the acceptance rate to this was going to be very small.

I was also aware of the fact that maybe I was losing this battle because I did not want to even imagine what a real battle was going to be like. The fact that I was trying to find a way out of this, and make this not a real battle. Why would I want to fight? Why would I want to find a way to get myself killed, for literally no other purpose than to say that I had done the right thing? I think that this whole thing was just a bit strange, and that I was going to have to try and find a way to make this feel like I was not actually a bad person. I mean, I knew that I was not a bad person, but that small part of me was feeling like I was just a terrible human being, and that there was no damn way around it.

I was thinking that my parents were never going to accept what I was doing here, if he knew what the hell I was planning. If he had any damn clue what I was planning, they would be telling me that I was being fucking insane, and that I was going to have to go back to my original home town. And that was the one thing that I never wanted to do. I did not under any case want to be going back to my original home town. That was the thing that I wanted less than anything else in the world. If I was going to be getting myself killed, then I was going to be doing it here, at a place that I at least kind of enjoyed, and not at that shit hole. Nothing in the world was going to convince me that such a thing was going to be worth it at all.

Besides, I thought to myself, that if I was going to be making friends, and that if I was going to be actually getting along with people who did not know me, I was going to need to make a impression And if fighting like a mad man, and fighting like a warrior who knew that he was going to be sort of going all out for various reasons, then I guess in the end, I wanted to look like I was not in fear of doing it at the same time. I had no reason to be acting like this, but I felt like I was going to have to try at least, and that I was going to need to be a man who was ready for whatever was to be coming.

I was thinking that this was going to be the most interesting part of my life. Not the best part of it by any means, since that would be indicating that I actually enjoyed getting myself killed, but it was certainly going to be the most interesting. And it was certainly going to be the one thing that I was going to just have to find a way to be going through with. I felt like I was getting a small sense of some form of purpose. The worst part about it was the fact that I pretty much had to be getting myself killed in order to be feeling like I was getting something else done in my life. I was thinking that I needed to be more realistic on how I was looking at this, and that I needed to at least try and be less edgy about it, and that I needed to at least try and look at it in a way that was making me look like I could have a handle on my life after all.

I was thinking that I was going to just have to walk along this for a while longer, and that the longer that I was going to be walking down this lane of uncertainty, the closer I would be getting to having the answers that I wanted. The closer that I would be to getting something that I knew was going to matter. The closer that I was going to be to accomplishing something that can at least give me a answer. And I would sleep on that tonight, and tell Dana what I thought of this when I would wake up, and get over this terrible monologue.

The next day at school, when I was at the front steps, Kevin was walking right up to me. "How did you enjoy hanging out with Dana yesterday? I heard about that, and was wondering if you actually enjoyed that at all, or if you were just wanting it over with." After Kevin had asked me this, I was shrugging a bit, as if pretending like this did not really get to me all that much, and that this visit was nothing too strange. I mean, I doubted that I would be able to really throw him off, but I felt like I needed to try at least, and that this was the least that I owed Dana for being so rough with her yesterday, and not even really letting her just show me what was going on here or anything like that.

"Well, it was a normal thing. I think that you probably would not be all that interested in actually knowing what was going on or anything. I would honestly not even bother with such a thing." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Kevin looking like he was totally uncertain of what to be thinking when I had said that. He was feeling like I was lying to him, but at the same time, I was seeing him looking like he was trying to debate if it was going to even be worth getting in my case over.

"I don't know if what you are saying is the truth or not. And quite frankly, I am not sure if I want to know. In a way, I have a feeling that if I ever get to learn what is going on with you right now, I think that it would be the worst mistake of my life." Kevin said, as if trying to decide in his mind if he was feeling like it would be worth it or anything. But at the same time, I was seeing him trying to just really get to know what was happening here.

"I mean, it is the best that I can do. It is close enough to the truth. It is actually nothing that you need to worry about, and I think that even if I were to go into all the details, it would just be coming off as a bit off, and I doubt that anybody else would be able to really understand. So I think that in all honesty, I will be leaving the subject alone for you." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, I was seeing Kevin looking like the truth was going to be a question he was going to be asking for the rest of his life. Well, asking in his mind. But at the same time, there was that part of him that was thinking that if it really mattered that much, then I would just have told him by now, and when he was feeling that way, he was shrugging, as if finally giving up a bit.

"Alright, I will be leaving you alone about this now. I just thought that maybe I could scope you out enough for something. But I guess that pushing you too hard would be pretty shitty to do. But I guess that maybe I need to find something else that we can be bale to talk about." After Kevin was saying that to me, I was sort of finding myself not even wanting him to try to do that, but at the same time, I was feeling like I was going to be a bit of a asshole if I did not try to do something like that.

"I don't know. I guess that maybe I can find something that can keep this interesting. I just don't know if we can be able to find something that will make us both equally interested. I mean, I don't really know what you are into, or anything like that. I guess that maybe I just need to try harder, and I can probably find something." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing Kevin just trying to consider that for a bit. The fact that we really had nothing in the grand scheme of things keeping is together, and that we were sort of just pulling strings in order to make something actually work.

"Well, I think that maybe if I look around enough, I can probably find something. I just need some time, and some luck, and I can pull this whole thing off. I mean, I think that maybe you can find something interesting in talking shit about my brother and stuff." After he had said that to me about his brother Sam, I did not know where he was coming from with that, and I was thinking that maybe he was a little bit wrong for that. But at the same time, I was thinking that he could have been telling the truth about this in his own way. I think that maybe when I meet Sam, I would really get what the issue is.

"Alright, I will entertain what you are thinking of right now. What is really so bad about your brother that you actually feel the need to talk badly about him all the time?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this question, that was when Kevin was looking like I had just asked him the most rich question in the entire world.

"Well, for starters, he is just a tool to work with. I mean, there is so many things that I could be able talking to you about that could give off examples. But I doubt that you would be very interested, and I am not going to be forcing you through such a thing, since I don't want to make you sick of this or anything. Which I fear is going to be a very real situation if I go too far." After Kevin was telling me this, I was then thinking that he needed to make his damn mind up on what to talk about or something, since he was jumping all over the place all the damn time.

"Well, I think that maybe you need to try and see what he is like more. You know, see if he really is all that bad of a guy. I mean, when you give him a chance, you might be able to see what is really getting to him. I think that everything is going to be easy to handle when you are forced to meet him again." I said, and then after I was saying that to Kevin, I knew that I was never going to get him to listen to me, but at the same time, I was finding myself not caring. I was wanting to make Kevin seem like we were able to actually listen to each other, and that we would be able to debate in a civil enough manner where we could actually get something done.

"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe you are having a point. I don't know what to say though. I mean, there is so many things he does to me, and so many things that he says to me that I feel like he is never going to be able to really see where I am coming from. He will always just have these standards for me, and that is something that I kind of hate to be honest." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more, but at the same time, he was thinking that it would be pointless to even try since I was probably not going to ever listen to him in the first place. I was wishing that I could treat him a bit better.

"Well, I think that the only thing that will really convince you is the whole idea of meeting him. When you meet him, then I think you will be able to finally get it for once for your life. I just wish that maybe I could be able to find a easier way to show it than you are wanting to admit. I just have a feeling that nobody is ever going to be able to really get it. Nobody will probably want to be getting it. Like doing such a thing would just be some terrible crime, and that it would be one that would be more than they can handle. I think that when I show people what I am feeling here, I am just going to finally get to have a impact on the people who are around me, which is the least that I can be able to do at this rate." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just genuinely curious what I was going to be saying to all of this. If I even wanted to be saying much on it at all, or if I was just going to remain quiet this time, for once in my life.

As we were about to comment further on this, that was when there was a voice calling out to me. I knew who it was, and I was telling myself that I needed to try and be cool with this. Even if this whole thing was just going to suck to be going through at this point. Dana was calling out to me, and I knew that she was wanting to find a moment to speak with me.

"Have you come to a choice on everything that you have been reading and all of our talks?" She was asking me, and then I was slowly nodding, as if I hated the fact that I had come to this choice, and that I was going to be thinking about the fact that I had been ready to admit something really awful, that I wanted to just never say out loud. But at the same time, I was wanting to make her see that no matter what, I was never going to be lying to her on this either.

"I think that I am going to give this a try. I hate to admit it, and I think that this is a terrible idea. But I think that standing around and doing nothing is not going to help me out at all. In fact, I think that this is going to be even worse for me to do in the long run. So yeah, I think that I am at least going to be looking into this." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking glad that I had said something like that to her, and that I was finally giving her a chance to be showing me that this was not totally insane, and that she was actually telling me the truth here.

"I think that you are making a really smart choice here. I was starting to fear that you were going to let your emotions put you in the way of trying to make something work out for us." After she had said that, I was looking down, and while I did not want to admit it, I was aware of the fact that she was having some validity to that statement, and that maybe she did need to point out what I was feeling. That maybe she did need to ground me on life, and not be letting me go out there, and be making fucking lies when I was just unable to make them and get away with such a thing. I thought that maybe the two of us were going to be making something really work after all, when we were actually going to be getting along, and not in a constant state of arguing or anything like that.

"I just don't want to regret this later on. I hope that in the end, this is the correct choice, and that I can be able to actually get something out of this in the long run. I think that if I were to try and make sense out of it all, I would be going crazy. But if I just focus on what I have, and I just focus on how I can make things better for everybody that I know, then I feel like I could be able to actually make a difference that matters." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was just sort of wondering if she was actually going to be willing to try and speak with me about the fact that I had no idea how to make sense out of this at all.

"I think that there is nothing to do to make sense out of this. I think that you just need to focus on what you have, and if you do that, then you might be able to have a chance to be looking to the things that I can actually be able to make a difference on." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her trying to find something else to tell me. But she had nothing she could say, or would say to me if I was really caring about the logic of this so much.

"Well, I just have a feeling that there is a connection. That is all that is going on here. I feel like there is surely something that connects this all, and I want to know what it is. I think that if I were to try and explain what I suspect, I would probably not be making much sense to you. But when you consider the fact that there are just so many damn things going on around here, then I guess that I just can't really ever be able to know what I am even saying now. I will just sound like a man who is lost, and a man who is just sort of on his own." I said, and then I was wondering if Dana had any interest in trying to help me out here on this regard. Or if she was going to be telling me off now.

"Just don't forget to have some fun when you are here. I did not want you to be wasting all of your time on this place. I was just thinking that maybe you would like to see what you would do if you had the right information." After told me, and then I was laughing at her, as if thinking that she had a rather interesting way of showing that. That she was really going to need to work on her presentation skills, when it was pretty much looking like she had no respect for me if I did not go out there and do a bunch of fighting or something crazy like that.

"Well, if you of all people are telling me this, then I better be taking you seriously. I mean, I just can't imagine not relaxing a bit if even you are telling me that it is time to just relax, and take it easy and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was having some fun with the fact that she was seeing me like this, and that I was not going to be messing around with her in a way that was just making things much worse for everybody else who was involved. "I mean, there was a reason I came here after all, and that is to have some form of a good life here, and not fucking get myself killed in the first couple of weeks or something like that."

"I will try to be taking it easy on you. I mean, this whole thing is just a lot for me, and I guess that I was excited to have somebody who was going to be able to make a difference, and I decided that I would try and get you to help me out. I know that I should have been there to listen to your side more. But maybe I was just sort of taken away by this." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was a bit guilty of the fact that this had happened in the first place.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I guess that maybe it is nice to know that there are some people who think that I am going to be a bringer of hope or something like that. Even if that pretense is totally false, it is always nice to have something like that. I just wish that I was able to actually fulfill that type of idea that you are having and stuff." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to say more, but could not find it in herself to really come up with anything at all, so was just quiet mostly now.

"I know that you mean well. That much I can assure you. I look at you, and I hear you, and I know that you want to help. I know that you want to go out there, and that you want to be able to make this place seem like we are safe. So I can respect you for that." I said, and then I looked at Kevin, who was confused as hell as to what he was hearing, but decided that maybe this was not all that big of a deal, and he was looking like maybe he just needed to let us have our moment.


	10. The Loud House

Chapter Ten. The Loud House

So let me start off with introducing myself. My name is Lincoln Loud, and I have a longer story to tell you. But it is one that I still can't really wrap my mind around even after all of these years. I wished that I was able to have some conclusion to this whole thing, and that I would always be able to understand what was exactly happening, as well as the motives behind it all. But I doubt that I will ever really be able to get to that point. I doubt that I will ever reach a point in which I will be able to make peace with what I went through. But that does not mean I can't at least try to tell you the story.

It all started when my family moved up from Mississippi all the way to Wayside. I am sure that you guys are already used to this kind of intro, so I am not even really going to get much into the details on this stuff. All that I will say is that each of my ten sisters had a mix of feelings. On one hand, my oldest Lori was just angry at the fact that we were leaving the one place that we had been for all of her life just because of my parents work. My second oldest, Leni was just seeming to be trying to at least make some good out of it, even if she was unaware of why this was going on. Then you have Luna, who didn't like it at first, but warmed up to it as a way to make some more music. Luan was very mixed on it, and I could not really well read what she was feeling on the matter. I decided that I would not be forcing the matter on her or anything like that. Lynn Jr was thinking about how this can be a good chance to exercise her sports and her rights here.

As for myself, I was sort of unsure of what I was going to be feeling or doing. I was only nine at the time, and I had been just sort of trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my father had gotten such a promotion in the first place. I was feeling like I wanted to know what happened, but at the same time, if I were to get to know the truth, I would be going into a bunch of details that I would lose interest in right away.

Lucy was the first of the younger children. She was sort of alright with it. Didn't seem to care either way. Was willing to go with the flow. Lana was excited to be going to a place where it seemed more encouraged to have a industrial promotion, since she always liked to get her hands dirty. Lola was the exact opposite as Lana, and hated it for that reason. Lisa was just glad that this happened before she really got fully into school and stuff, and therefore did not have much switching to do. Lily was sort of not really all that interested in the move and was more interested in the drive going on here.

When we had moved there, despite the fact that I was extremely mixed on this matter, I was just telling myself that everything was going to be fine. I was proven to be right and wrong very quickly on this whole matter. I was proven right on the fact that soon after I showed up, a guy named Clyde showed up, and he showed some interest in getting to know me, and decided that we could hang out for a while. I did not know how to be feeling on the whole matter, but I was certainly glad that somebody was suggesting that we do something, and for that reason, I was open to all the ideas that he was having. As long as they were within some logical reason of course.

"I heard about you guys, and decided that I would come and see how it was over here. I hope that you guys do not mind me being here or anything." After Clyde had said that, I knew that he was probably talking about the fact that there were so many kids here, and that having even an extra one or two people in the area was just going to be a lot to handle. Like this was the one thing that they were not really going to be much ready for at all.

"Well, you will probably be meeting all of my siblings over time anyways I think that you will be cool with slowly meeting them over time. I just don't really know what to do to get them to all know what is happening." I said, and I was feeling like we were just going to be having a relatively hard time getting into the swing of things, trying to get into hang out with people here and stuff. I was wanting to see how this could work, but I would never feel like I was going to be in the right place unless if I knew why he was wanting to do this anyways.

"Hey Clyde, what is your family like? How many siblings do you have?" I asked, and I was seeing him looking like he was just kind of sad over that question. As if I was hitting on a touchy subject. I was wondering what was so wrong with my question, and I did not mean anything by it.

"Well, I don't have any siblings. Which I guess is why I like to try and hang with people with interesting families. Because I barely have anything at my side that can make things interesting. So I thought that maybe coming and checking on your place would be able to help me out with finding something at least." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see how I would react, but at the same time, just wanting to make sure I would be giving him a honest response.

"I guess that you can say that my family is interesting. If for nothing else, they are at least that." I said, and then I smiled at that thought, thinking about the fact that I was actually thinking about them in this respect anyways. But despite what I was feeling at this point, I was just wanting to find a way to make him feel like there was a small chance where he was able to really fit into this whole thing. I felt like he deserved such a thing in the first place. I just had to find a way to make this whole level of insanity feel like there was something that could keep it going.

"I mean, the fact that you have as many siblings and the fact that they are all girls, from what I have heard, seems to be rather exciting. I mean, I would like to meet them at least once or twice, and see what they can be doing on a normal basis and stuff." After he was telling me this, I was seeing him wanting to do something else besides talk about my sisters now, which was something that I was able to find myself to agree with after all.

"Well, until then, do you have any other plans? I think that maybe we can go and hang out at your place for a while. I can just tell my parents what I am doing, and I bet they will be fine with this." I said, and then after I was telling him that, he was starting to look like this was something that he would be fine with. At least with this, it would be a start to get what he was wanting.

I went to my parents room, told them that I already met somebody, and they seemed to be a combination of shocked and happy, but they told me that I could go, and that I just needed to be back before nine, and then they let me go, to hang out at his place. You know, back in the day when you can be able to hang out for long hours of the night, and nobody would be calling your family monsters or some stupid shit just because they decided to be letting you go out and have some fun with people late in the evening at such a young age.

We went to his house, and started to hang out there. "I mean, it isn't much, but I think that it will be good enough to go with so far. I just hope that some of this is to your liking at least." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was just really wishing that I would find something to say to him that was going to make him feel like he was actually really starting to open me up. I mean, I was excited, and I was wanting to see what he had to offer. I was just curious to know how my sisters would react when they knew of him.

That was the start to the friendship. After about twenty minutes or so of uncertainty, I was getting used to this place, and I was thinking that it was not a bad area to be hanging at in the first place. I was feeling like I just needed to find something that would be able to keep us both interested. But when I was here, I was feeling like this would be a good try. I felt like this was going to be something that we could at least try and make work if for nothing else. The next couple of months were really nice and really easy. Some of the best times of my entire life. I don't really have any better way to be describe this whole thing.

The first thing that happened in my time here that really threw me off was the fact that about six months after we moved here, Lori went missing, and it was just a sudden shock. There was no better way to explain how I felt on the matter. I mean, when I found out after hanging out with Clyde that one night, I could not really fathom what I had just heard. Clyde was also really sad, since he had a crush on her, and did not even try to hide the fact that he was into her. I was clearly seeing that he was thinking that like the love of his life had been taken away or something like that.

My family was frantic about it for the first month or two, and kept the lights on every night in case she returned, and we all went along doing things our own way to get over the grief of what had happened. None of us wanted to vocally show our emotions, since doing so would have sort of immortalized the fact that this whole thing was happening. We felt like if we just pretended like nothing ever happened, then we would be able to move on or something like that. I don't even get it myself, but I feel like maybe we just wanted to have a small amount of hope and stuff.

With each passing month, while we never really got over it per se, we clearly had a different opinion of it over time. First was fear, then it was confusion why she would be gone, then sadness, and eventually acceptance. That was one of the hardest years of my life because nothing like this ever happened to me before. And sadly, it would not be the only time something like this was going to happen. It would keep coming up much more often than I ever wanted to admit it could.

When I had finally felt like everything was going back to normal, and most if not everybody had accepted the fact that Lori was just gone, that was when the unexpected happened. Leni also went missing around a year after Lori did. This was even more unexpected, and while it was a bit harder to deal with at first, due to the fact that this was the second one, it was less hard to get through it all since we had already gone through this. I mean, this was not our first rodeo in the first place.

I was thinking that my parents were never going to be able to get over this whole thing. I mean, two of their children were gone after moving here, and there was nothing to do about it. I felt bad over what was going on, and I was feeling like I should have done more to be there for them, but that I just was never going to get them to feel better. I felt like when they were ready to talk about it, they would, and that they would let me in as well. I felt like that bringing them into this was only going to be making things much worse for them in the long run.

As I was thinking that, I was just telling myself that I would focus more on my school and friendships. As a result of this happening, my grades started to improve, and I was starting to at least try and form a click. I mean, none of them lasted for more than several months, due to my problems with social life, aside from Clyde who was there before this happened, and I felt the need to be open with him on this whole thing.

The thing is that none of the friendships that ended after several months were over anything bad. I just happened to drift apart with them and stuff. Besides, I was only ten or so at the time this whole thing started, so clearly I was probably never going to be friends with them for a really long time anyways. I mean, at least this stuff happened in a good enough terms where every time we did see each other at school and stuff over the years to come, we were at least cordial with each other. At least I had actually felt like the two of us could connect. But Clyde was the only one who would stick by my side from start to end, and he was going to be there to witness all of the stuff that was happening in the first place, and that he was probably the only reason that I did not feel insane doing all of this stuff, and that I did not go insane from all of the things that happened around me over the next several years that I was there.

Around one year again, and this time, I had a sinking suspicion, that was indeed confirmed, when Luna went missing. I was starting to feel like every year, one of these siblings was going to be going missing, in the order they were born in, and that as a result, it was only going to be about three years before I went missing, I knew that if this was to happen, I was going to need to make the best of it that I could.

As much as I hate to admit, it by the time we were getting to Luna, we had already done this so many times, and we had just started to get used to this, as if it was sort of the tradition. We did not have to live it, but pretending like there was not going to be a tie to all of this together was just not going to be making things any better. There was nothing that would keep convey how we felt. But there was literally no point in going out of our way and crying every single time, when at this rate, we knew the police would never find them, and that it was only a matter of time before the next one would go missing.

And besides, at that point, I think most of us were just wondering what was going to happen when we would be going missing. What was going to happen when we could not really make any real difference on this whole issue. I just wished that I was going to find a way to properly explain what the other problem that was going on at my mind. I was feeling like something that was happening in the town was just bothering me much more.

Well, the thing is that, as other narrators have already explained before, once every four to six weeks, a person in this town would go missing. Within a few days of that, the grinding noise that confused and scared me was going on. And so many people were moving in at such a large rate, that even with this large influx of missing people, there was nothing that I could say or do. The people who went missing were all over the place. Different ages, different families, different lives, and different situations that would cause this. So there was literally no way in hell we were going to be able to find a connection that would make this whole thing actually sound like it was getting any form of a connection. This was just a bad situation, and that was all that I could be able to say out of it. All that I wanted to really do was just get a answer on the insanity that was happening around me, and then be able to finally just get the answers that I felt like I had deserved for once in my damn life.

The fourth sister Luan went missing soon after that. She was the one that I was closest with out of the older ones. She was the one who actually seemed to always care about what I was doing, and what my plans were, and she was looking like she did not ever want to treat me badly. She was just always off doing her own thing, which I had no problem of at all. I was wishing that more of my siblings were out doing things on their own actually. I was feeling like when she went missing, this was the only one out of the bunch that was actually starting to be getting to me. I did not want such a thing to happen, since if she was gone, then I would not really have anybody to talk to about my interests and stuff. And I was worried that since there was only one more before me, that I was going to have nothing to do to protect me in more than a couple of years.

It was also at this point in time when I was feeling like I needed to try and find the truth of what was happening here. I was thirteen at this time, and now the second oldest at the house. I felt like a way, it was slowly becoming my responsibility to make sure that soon to be pure set of younger sisters were going to have at least a small chance of being able to be safe. I felt like it was the only thing that I could be able to do to really have any chance.

I had felt like if I was going to go out there and make a difference, then I was going to have to really pull in a lot of strings together. I was trying to tell Clyde my idea of going out there and learning the truth. I mean, he was a good guy and everything, but it was awful to be hearing him tell me that there was no way in hell that any of this was going to work. He was being realistic, but I was wishing that he was able to not be so blunt about it. I just wished that there was at least some fake impersonation that he was going to be there to make sure that nothing could go on with me.

I told him that there was clearly something going on here, and that I could not just pretend like this was nothing more than a bad set of cases. He had told me that there must be some truth to the idea that this was the situation though. A really rough family emergency that was gotten worse over time, and there was virtually no way to change it. I was wanting to argue with him so badly, but at the same time, I felt like I was never going to really get him to see that I was not wanting to argue on this. He was clearly looking like he was being the more practical of the two. This was the closest that I had gotten to losing this friendship, which felt like a valid reason at the time but now even I know I was being stupid.

The next year, Lynn Jr went missing, and she was the last one before me, which meant that next year, it was going to be my turn, and that I was going to just have to make the most out of it, and make it seem like this did not bother me too much. I knew that this was going to be fucking impossible, but I wanted to make it look like I was having some chance of being able to get through this whole thing. I just wished that I was going to find a better way out of this now.

I was telling Clyde my fear, and by that point, we had made up, and Clyde was starting to think that if I was going to be going missing the next year, we might as well at least try and make the most of it that we can, in order to give me some chance of feeling like we had a life ahead of us that was not going to be totally shit and stuff. I was feeling like maybe when he and I were talking about this, the two of us were going to finally have something that we had missed out on this whole time. A good old regular bonding experiences that was not going to be feeling forced, and a bonding experience that actually felt like it was going to be keeping us together. I knew it was going to be hard, but I knew that it was going to be worth the try at least.

I had no idea what I was to expect from all of this though. In a way, I was feeling like if I ever knew the truth of what was going on at this town, which I probably would the next year after, then nothing else was even going to matter at all. I had finally felt like I just needed to finally branch out, and try to enjoy my life for once. And actually make it look like I did not have to be worried about the way that I was presenting myself. I wanted to make people see that I was not going to be letting anything bring me down.

I had no idea how I was going to be able to describe the way that I had felt beyond that. I wanted to find a way to make things right. To make things feel like they could have a chance of working out. But I guess that something like this was just never going to happen. I was telling Clyde that I wanted to make some new friends in my time here, and finally make things seem like they were going to be right for once.

I had made a new friend that did stick around with a girl named Ronnie Anne after that. And I was taking in the few months that I had with her into stride, and while I did like her a bit, I did not ask her out because I was scared of what was to come in the immediate future. When I was going to be the next one who was going to be going missing. But then something happened that I doubted anybody was ready for.

I did not go missing at the designated time. In fact, it just skipped me entirely, and Lucy was the one who went missing. She was gone when I had woken up one day, and I was just looking around to see where she was at. But at the same time, I was almost glad in a way. To know that nothing was going to be happening to me at least. For now. That at least I had one extra year to try and figure out what I was going to be doing, before I was probably going to be going missing.

I was convinced that maybe this whole thing happened because maybe whatever was behind this forgot about me. Like they just forgot that I was the oldest after Lynn, and then they went after Lucy, and that next year, they were going to be coming to be grabbing me. I was feeling like I just needed to be ready for such a thing, when that were to be coming. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe with my extra year, I can finally be able to find a way to focus on what the hell was going on, and I could be able to finally just have a authority on where to be going next. I mean, I had four younger sisters, who were a deal younger than me, that I felt like I needed to at least try and keep safe. I knew that if I did not do this, then I was going to be making everything that I just got all for not.

And when I was thinking about that, I knew that I was not going to be cool with this. I was not going to be cool with losing a lead that I had just gotten. I was feeling like when I had gotten the lead, then I was needing to take it as far as I could. I was needing to use it with all of my effort. I felt like this was the best that I could do. And it was honestly the only thing that was keeping me feeling like this missing case with Lucy was for the best. That I now had extra time to be making it work. It was a strange and terrible hope. But it was my hope nonetheless, no matter how terrible it may be sounding from me.

When Lana and Lola had went missing the next year, I could not really even know what to expect. The reason they went missing at the same time was because they were twins, which meant that soon enough, they were probably going to both suffer the same fate. With that, there was only three of the siblings left, and I had no idea what I was going to do to protect either one of my two younger sisters. I felt lost. I felt like I had failed on some way. That this was the one thing that I had done wrong in my entire life. I felt like everything that I had wanted was just going to be thrown out of the window soon enough. And trust me when I say that you would have no idea what that feeling is going to be like. That feeling that nothing you ever would be doing was going to be getting any answers any closer, and that these answers were just going to be all for nothing.

I had wished that I had a proper answer, but trying to find one in this crazy life of mine was just going to be like trying to find the meaning to a piece art that a little kid made. It was just simply not going to happen. No matter how much I wanted to act like something made sense, it was just not going to. So instead of lying to myself on what would and would not work, I was thinking instead about what I was going to be doing from this point forward, that would actually at least sort of keep myself together on a level of collected composure.

Both Clyde and Ronnie Anne were looking like they had wanted to say something to me, but they were well aware that something like this was just not going to work. They were both aware that if they had wanted to help, I would have probably gone out and actually asked for it at this point. So me just not asking them, and me not venting, was sort of their cue that no matter how rough this was going to be, I was wanting this battle to be one that I was going to fight on my own. This was a battle that I knew I would never want them to be forced through, no matter the case that it was going to be.

I think that as long as I kept myself away from them on this regard, the better that I was going to be as an actual friend. That was the thing that I had convinced myself. That they would not need to be dealing with the fact that I was a broken man, who was just trying to fix the pieces, but that deep down inside, the pieces were just all that they had needed to be. They were all going to be coming together soon enough, and that it was just more of a when rather than a if in my mind. And that I was going to protect my sisters, no matter the cost that it would have with me.

When Lisa went missing, I knew that it was almost not even worth trying to find her. I knew that there was no way in hell that justice was going to be done, so I was worried about just working out whatever I could in order to make sure that nothing was to go bad. I knew that this was going to be rough, and that virtually none of this would matter in the first place. I knew that if I wanted to try and make a difference, I was going to have to just worry about avenging them rather than just trying to find them. Finding them was just never going to work, and I knew that deep down, even if I was hating the fact that they were never be coming back home or anything like that.

Despite what I had been feeling at this point in time, I was just focusing at the road ahead of me when high school was over. I knew that I had a chance to make things right by at least having me get a life after this whole thing. I knew that I was given a chance nobody else was given, and that I was needing to just take advantage of the fact that at least I was having a chance to be happy for once. Or as happy as somebody like me could when I was dealing with my sisters randomly going missing for no real reason. I think that the idea of being "happy" was going to be a bit rough to go through with. But in a way, I was doubting that it was going to even make any damn sense in the world.

I was feeling pissed at this whole thing. I hated the fact that my family was just going missing time after time, and that I was not able to make a difference. I hated the fact that nothing I would ever do was going to make anything matter at all. I was thinking that in a way, I was the worst person to be dealing with this type of stuff. I was feeling like when I would be seeing the truth of what I was supposed to do, then it was just going to be a waste.

Despite what the heck I was going on in my mind, I was feeling like maybe I was going to have to find a way to make my sisters feel like I did care about them. I did not know if that was going to be possible, but I was feeling like I was going to have to try at least. I had to at least to make the family feel like something was going on here. That they had felt like this was a story that was finally going to bring it all together once and for all.

The last one, Lily, went missing as I was expecting, and to be honest, when it was getting down to her, as much as I hated to admit it, a part of me was just wanting to get it over with. I was wanting her to just go already, so that way, I would be able to finally just go on and be doing something on my own. I did not want to be dealing with this anymore. I was feeling like maybe I was going to have to find a way to keep her safe here, but that in the end, even if I tried, it was just going to be fucking impossible to accomplish, no matter how much I wanted to try.

I was just thinking that if I wanted like to act like a proper man, then everything would finally make some sense at the end of the day. I was going to try and make something else come together. I was feeling like maybe when I would find out what had happened to them, then my life was going to come together in way that was going to make me feel like I could keep it in one small spot that could come together. But in the end, I was seeing that maybe my imaginations were out of normal.

I had no idea what I was even wanting to do now. I was just wanting my family to be safe, and I was wanting some friendships. I was feeling like almost nothing I could get would ever come together. In the end though, I was wondering if this was the way that life was going to be meant to be. I was thinking that my life was just going to be one big complicated and giant fucked up life that I had. I was thinking that if I cared that much, I would have made a difference now. But when I was being realistic, maybe I was just not actually caring because I did not go out and actually accomplish anything. I whined about it, but I did nothing.

It made me feel like a fucking coward. That much I can tell you right now. I felt like a coward who wanted to make a difference, but was never going to, because I was always that man who talked about unfairness, but then never did anything to actually earn anything that I wanted back. In a way, I was feeling like maybe I was the monster here.

But that is not my concern right now. This is a long story, and I will be telling you it soon, but I am not going to be worried about the stuff relating to my missing sisters for now. When I talk about what I did to eventually avenge them all, then I will be telling you all of those stories, and I will do the best I can. But for now, I am going to be just telling you the choice that had made me decide to life the life that I had lived for the large time being.

So the real story started about a night or so before I was supposed to be graduating high school. I was so damn excited to graduate, that there was no way that I could be able to describe it. This was the most exciting part of my entire life. I was feeling like everything that I had gone through was going to be coming to a head. I was finally thinking that I was going to settle down, and show people that I was not too held back from the missing sisters. Now that I was the only one who had gone on to graduate the school and all that stuff.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say as I was sitting next to Clyde and Ronnie Anne the night of the graduation. As I was sitting down next to them, I had felt like I was on top of the world. I was feeling like I finally had something that I could want. I finally had a life that I was going to be able to at least try and fulfill. I felt like I was finally the hero of the story. Before I could even think about what I was feeling, I was hearing Clyde and Ronnie Anne sort of bringing me back down to reality.

"Hey Lincoln, are you excited to walk down that lane tomorrow? I mean, all the fucking tests are finally done with, all the late nights can finally start, and I can finally make things work out. I feel like it all makes it worth it in the end. I feel like I can finally be relaxing for once." After Clyde said that, I was looking at Ronnie Anne, and I was seeing that even she was glad to finally have this over with. Like she was not wanting to deal with it anymore, than she would have to.

"I am pretty excited. I mean, getting this over with will be the best part. I am not very excited to go out into the real world though. I mean, that is not going to be the best part of the world either. I think that maybe we are going to need to think about that aspect as well." I said, and then after I was saying that to Clyde and Ronnie Anne, I was unsure of what to think now.

"Well, you are always able to find a way to take all the fun out of something. I mean, would you really think that your sisters are going to want you to be holding back because you are scared of life after graduation?" Ronnie Anne asked, and then I sighed. They never knew what it was going to be like. Clyde being an only child and Ronnie Anne having a older brother who probably looks to be immune to any of the bullshit that was going on around me. I had no idea what to be feeling about that though, even if I wanted to have something to say.

"Damn it. I really would wish if you would stop doing that. But I know that you are right. That is what I hate about this right now. The fact that I know deep down, you are right. They would not want this form me. They would want me to at least try and have a normal life. And staying around here, bitter and angry all the damn time is not going to be giving me that at all." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her starting to look like she was glad that I was starting to admit some of my faults on this as well as the idea of just relaxing.

"But yeah, what are you guys planning on doing anyways in the first place?" I asked, and then I was seeing them both looking like they were going to be wanting to tell me the details, but at the same time, they did not want to tell me in the fear that I was going to be taking this whole thing way too far at this point. But in the end, this whole thing just felt really strange.

"We are probably going to Clyde's place, and having a bit of a fun excursion that way. I think that we are going to see what we can do to make this the best night ever. I think that we both earned it." Ronnie Anne said, and I smiled. They were so annoying PDF ever since they had started dating about fifteen months ago. But at the same time, I knew that it was going to happen, and now it was a matter more of when they were going to go even further with it, and how they were planning on living their life now that they were old enough to do whatever.

"Well, I hope that you enjoy yourself. Don't be too rough or anything. I want to still hang out with you guys after graduation. But I guess that maybe you are probably too worried about this stuff to be honest. I think that what I will do after tonight is maybe asking a girl out after graduation. One that I have liked for a while." I said, thinking about the fact that it had been nearly three years since I gave up on the whole Ronnie Anne idea, in place for a girl that I knew was going to be much easier to get, a girl that I knew was going to be rather special in my own eyes. But I had no idea if she was going to say yes. But I knew that I needed to finally try at least, before leaving forever.

"We are the least rough people in the world. We don't want our parents getting us in trouble because we are just having a good time." After Clyde said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more, but at the same time, he was just thinking that maybe I was not going to be too convinced. But at the same time, I was just thinking that he was not terribly wrong with this. I was actually thinking that maybe as long as he was not too crazy about this, then I would let it be left alone.

"Didn't your parents like really hate the fact that you were dating and stuff back at the start of it?" I asked, trying to remember the details behind it all. I mean, it was kind of hard to not remember when they were always getting into fights and all that stuff. But I was feeling like maybe I just needed to see that their parents were just doing their best to be helpful, even if they were only making things worse for everybody else.

"Oh yeah, they thought that Clyde was not nearly responsible enough to have a relationship with me. I was forced to show them that he was an alright guy. Which I doubt that this worked out very well. But I was just trying to find a way to get them to give him a break, and not be on his case all the damn time in the first place. But who knows, maybe when you are overprotective of your daughters, you are like that. I guess that I will never understand." After Ronnie Anne said that, she was looking at Clyde, winking at him a bit more.

"But I pretty much just told them that I would trust him to protect him, because I never think that he would be making things any worse. I know that he would always be there when I need somebody there for me the most. I guess that maybe when I told them this, and I was saying it with such utter certainty, they were finally starting to think that maybe I was not lying to them, and that I was actually thinking that he could be the one who was going to be there for me more than anything." After she was saying that to me, I was looking at Clyde, smiling at him, thinking that maybe he was actually going to be making a difference more than he ever thought that he could. But at the same time, I did not know if he was super excited for any of this. I saw him just looking like he was over people always treating him like trash for no real good reason at all.

"I mean, I never understood why people thought that I would not be able to be responsible for the people that are around me. I mean, I feel like I should be given a bit more of a chance anyways. But I guess that maybe such a thing would just be too hard for them to let me have." But he was looking like he was not wanting to talk about it any longer, and talk about more exciting things, that were of interest to him.

"I think that people are just scared when their daughters are going out and dating and stuff. I mean, I guess that I don't really get it, but is none of my concern. As long as they are not total asswipes about it, then they can probably do whatever they want. I mean, when my sisters were around, and some of them were going out on dates, that was the way my parents felt. Then after a while, they did not protest anymore, just being happy that they were going out and actually doing something at all." I said, and then I was laughing at the fact that their opinion really changed over time, over something that was just truly god awful.

"I mean, if that is the way that people treat their daughters, then I hope to god that I never have a daughter. I never want to be that much of an over protective freak over something." Clyde said, and Ronnie actually nodded at that, thinking that the annoyance of a son being a dick were not nearly as awful as the fear of a daughter getting herself killed. That was what she was truly telling herself at least.

"Thankfully they seemed to have calmed down on it over the last year or so. For a while, it was absolutely unbearable, and it was just so damn over the top the way that they were treating it. But once they started to calm down a bit more, then this was actually not super awful, and I was at least able to start to stomach it a bit more than before." After she had said that to me, I felt like I was needing to think on things in their different perspective.

"I wonder what they are going to do when you move out? I think that they are going to be basically fighting that idea until the day that you are out, and have been out for several weeks at a time." After I was saying that to her, I was just feeling like I was wanting to be funny, but at the same time, doing such a thing was just going to be a bit hard to me since I did not have Luan at my side, to help me have a perspective on how to be 'funny' or anything like that.

"I think that they are just going to have to find a way to understand that I am old enough to do such a thing, shall it be my choice, and if I wanted to do it now, then it would be totally in my right to do so, and they can't be doing anything about it." After she was saying that to me, I was seeing her just starting to find something kind of amusing about this whole thing. Which was more than she was wanting to admit. She was thinking that maybe the over the top ness of her parents was actually something to be kind of having fun with.

"Well, I think that we just need to accept the fact that parents are probably never ever going to take a chill pill in their entire life, and that if we try too hard to complain about it, then we are never going to be getting anywhere at this. But I think that I am going to be going and trying to ask that girl out. Sorry for always bringing the subject back to that. But in all honesty, I have no idea what the hell I feel." I said, and then after I was done saying that, I was seeing both looking like they just had to fucking know what I was to be doing now.

"When are you going to be asking her? I really think that you could be able to enjoy something like that. So I think that maybe you should tell me who she is." Clyde said, and he was looking like he was just wanting to start to slowly get me to want to open up who this person was going to be. I was just thinking that this was one of my worst ideas at that moment.

But to be totally honest, I did not know if I was really comfortable with telling them what was going on here. I was feeling like if I were to tell them, they would be laughing at me, and telling me that I had no chance to her to like me at all. Then I was telling myself that she would never treat me like this. "Well, her name is Emma. I have sort of liked for for a year or so. She was one of the first girls I started to look at after I got over the first girl I had a crush on." I said, and I was thinking about the fact that I was trying too hard to pretend like Ronnie Anne would not know I was talking about her, when I am sure that every single person who knew me was probably aware of the fact that this was the girl that I had liked.

"Well, I think that I kind of expected that back a few months ago. I mean, it seems that you are getting better with the way you are hiding yourself and your impressions of people." After Ronnie Anne told me this, I was seeing her looking like she was glad that I was able to do something like this. But at the same time, I saw her looking like she was wanting to just see who I was liking, and why I eventually moved on from the first person I liked. But I did not think I would ever want to let her know why I moved on from her, and why I felt like I could never be able to start to want to date her.

The best way that I could explain it is that I feel like she was like a sister to me. I also feel like Bobby was like the older brother that I had never had, and that Clyde was like the other brother I never had. I mean, I felt like I was more connected with Ronnie Anne than any one of my sisters, which was a terrible thing for me to admit, but I would never lie about such a thing, no matter how much I was wanting to be doing that. Even if that was just going to make things even worse for those around me.

"Trust me, if you were to ever know what was going on in my mind, you would never understand any of it. I think that for your sake, you would probably be feeling better if I never opened up about such things. It is not nearly as exciting as you may be thinking that it really is." I said, and then after I had told them that, I saw them both looking like they were just going to try and see what I could say in order to finally open up to what I was feeling at that point.

"I mean, I am always just thinking about the most mundane things in the world that nobody would be caring about. The things that people would be laughing at me over because they would be thinking that I need to go on and actually think about different things. But I guess that if I were to try and really explain it beyond that, then I would just be sort of unable to find the words. I guess that maybe the words don't really matter. I feel like my point has been made well enough to get it. But that does not matter. I am going to her, and I will ask. Right now." I said, and I really meant it this time as I was standing up to see what to do now.

As I was walking on towards the area where Emma and her friends were usually hanging out, I was feeling like seeing them was going to be the one thing that I was going to be able to do to keep myself at least feeling like I did something when I was at this school, and that there was a modicum of accomplishment that I had made here. I did not really know how I was really going to approach her, and what I would say to get her to think that we were going to be a good pairing, but in a way, I did not fucking care what people were going to be thinking of me here.

I was just telling her that this was going to be the most exciting moment about high school, for better or for worse. This was going to be the only thing about high school that I felt like I was actually almost proud of, which was too strange. I did not know why I was going to be proud about simply asking a girl out. I guess that I was just feeling like I needed to break through to her, and make her feel like she was going to be meeting a guy who was wanting to treat her properly. But I did not really know if I was going to be that guy who was going to truly make a difference. I think that maybe I was just wanting to at least pretend like I could help her out.

Eventually, I reached the area where she was usually hanging out with her friends, and when I was looking right at the three girls who was there, I was trying to see if perhaps Emma was there. I was thinking that as I was looking at them, I was starting to realize that they were not only not with Emma, but that they were looking terribly sad as a result of this. I knew that something must have been going on, so I was sighing, and just told myself to see what the hell was going on here.

"Hey, is there something going on right now?" After I asked them this question, all three of them were looking at me as if pissed that I had just gotten in their moment of sadness, and that I was getting too close to them. I felt like I needed to see what the problem was, and that if they would just fucking tell me, then I would be able to find a way to try and help them out get through this issue, whatever the issue even was going to be.

"How did you not hear the news?" One of the girls snipped at me, and then I was looking at her utterly confused. I felt like she went from being somebody that I could feel bad for, but was now somebody who was just being rude for the sake of being rude, and could have just told me what the hell the problem was, and then we would have been able to work it out.

"What she meant to say is that Emma joined the missing peoples list a couple of days. We could not find her at her house, and now that she is missing, nobody really knows what to do about it. We feel like without her around, we are just going to have none of the excitement that we used to have about going out after high school and enjoying life. Knowing that our friend is not with us." After another friend said that to me, I was sighing, and shaking my head, unable to believe that she had just told me this in the first place. I felt like this was one way to make things even worse.

"Oh god, I never thought that this was going to be happening. I think that maybe I need to try and find something to do to be helping you out here. But I need to know where she was the last time that we saw her, and how she was doing and stuff." I said, and then after I was saying that to the girls, I was wondering what they were even going to be saying to my statement.

"Well, I mean, we do live in a town where stuff like this happens. But I thought that maybe we could have been more prepared for this to happen at any point. But if you want to try and find her, then I guess that maybe you can do your best. I doubt that it will really helping out too much. Because this world loves to fuck us in the for no real good reason." After she was saying that to me, I was feeling like maybe she was going to have to try harder to make me feel like this could not work out at all.

"I just need to have some clues on what I can do to help out. Once I have some clues, then I think that I can head on out, and I will see what I can do to help out." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing that the girl was just wanting me to get real with her, and that this was going to be a bit hard for me to at the moment. I knew that even if I was wanting her to feel happier, and feel better, that such a thing was just going to be almost out of my reach, and I was wondering if that was a good thing or not.

"I think that as long as I have at least a starting point, then I can be able to make something work. I just need to have area to start, a area to look, and then after I get that, I can be able to go on and try to really make something work here." I said, and then I was seeing that she was just clearly not able to fully believe in the words that I was telling her. That she was thinking that I needed to give her a realistic chance to make both of our sides work out.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you were just having any information. I mean, that is all that I really fucking need here." I said, and then after I was telling her this, I was seeing her just trying to decide what she was even going to be thinking about this conversation now, and the fact that I was trying so damn hard on all of this now.

"Well, I don't know if you will be able to get a lot of use out of this, but she was meeting a guy a few weeks ago, and when she was seeing him, she was talking about how she had wanted to see him for a long time, and that this was the one thing that she had been looking forward to the most lately." After she had said that to me, I was confused at what she said, and I was starting to accept the fact that I was not going to be with her. After I had gotten used to that after a moment, I was telling myself that I needed to just get to figuring out how the hell I was going to be helping her and her friends find Emma. That was more important than me being in love with her.

"Where was she supposed to meet him? I think that until I have a clue on where to look, I will not be able to have any way of helping you out here." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her looking like she was honestly kind of impressed to be seeing me looking this serious about such a thing. That she was actually seeing me looking like I was going to do whatever I could to make sure that her and her friends were going to be safe. She was clearly looking like she was wanting to find a way to help me, but could not find a real way to do this.

"All that I need is a starting point, and I will do whatever I can to make this work out in the end." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing her slowly nod, as if getting right back in the mindset that helping me out was the one thing that she was going to be able to do here. She was just looking like she had no real clue of how to be feeling when I was actually at least trying to reach out to them, and that I was not doing it in a way to be meaning any disrespect or anything like that.

"Well, I think that maybe he was at the gas station or something like that. I don't remember every single detail of the conversation, but I do remember something like that. She was talking about how she was going to be meeting him at the gas station, and seeing what they could do from there." After she had told me this, I was slowly nodding, a bit confused, but feeling like this was going to be better than nothing at all. I was just then thinking that maybe I was aware of the man who had worked there, and how I was going to be able to get him to finally open up with me and actually tell me what he was doing with that girl.

"I think that this is going to be making things much easier for me to figure out. I mean, there are not that many people who work at the gas station. Like what, three or four of them?" I asked, and I was just thinking about the fact that this was the limiting down type of thing that I would really actually be able to use to help me out. But at the same time, I was hoping that she was going to be able to tell me which worker it actually was, so that way I would be able to find a way to talk with him much faster and easier than I had been up until this point.

"Well, I am going to see what I can do to make it work. I just hope that this is not going to be turning out to be a fruitless endeavor. You can be able to come along with me, if you so wish to do so." I said, and then after I was telling the friends this, they were both looking at me, as if they were not wanting anything to do with this search. Almost like this search was going to be the one thing that they would never have the courage to do, since it would be putting their lives in danger.

I was just telling myself that maybe when I was going to see it in their perspective, maybe they were scared that if they did something, they were going to be the next people who would be going missing. And then I was shaking my head, angered at the fact that I had just suggested that to them, not even aware of their problems. Since after all, I was not a girl, and I was never going to really get it. I mean, yeah sure guys went missing, but that was once every other year or so. This thing with the girls was just over the top often.

I mean, when a guy goes missing, you can assume that it was legitimately something normal happening that could be able to explained in a very rational way. But when a girl goes missing here, due to the large amount of them, there was just no way that there was nothing going on here. There must have been some form of a over arching scheme going on here. I mean, even I had to admit to something like that. Or maybe I was just desperate to find something that can tie what happened to my sisters together in some way.

"I didn't mean to make you guys feel uncomfortable. I forgot that you guys are at a much higher risk than normal of something happening to you. I should have considered that before I made the offer." I said, and then after I had told them this, they were looking at me, as if almost not even thinking that what I said was even worth getting on my case over. There was no way that I could have known, and they were supposed to be realistic on this.

"No, you could not have known. You were just thinking of what you could be able to do to help out in your own way. I think that you should not be too invested in making something like this work. I think you know deep down that something like this is almost certainly never going to come through. But yeah, if you feel the desire to try, then I hope that you find something that can make it all work." After Emma's friend had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she has virtually accepted the fact that Emma was not only gone, but not going to be coming back any time soon.

I was heading on towards where Clyde and Ronnie Anne were, and I was going to be telling them the terrible news. I could not really find a good way to explain it, but I think that if they were going to believe me, then maybe we were going to have a small chance to find a way through this, and not be dragging our feet through the mud like a bunch of jack asses. But I guess that such a thing was going to be rather hard to do, regardless of if I was feeling like I had done something good or not.

I was thinking about the fact that even if I can't help my sisters, I was going to be able to find a way to help my classmates out and stuff. I felt like my classmates were the only people that mattered now. That when I would save them, then I guess that maybe I finally had done something that was at least kind of good in my life. At least I was going to tell myself that I was not totally off on the wrong foot here. But I was thinking that maybe my sisters were not going to be able to really find a way through all of this, as much as I hated to admit this.

I had been thinking about the fact that if I could ever see my sisters again, I would apologize to them, and tell them that I should have been there for them more. But that I was just too scared to be doing what actually mattered. That they had every right to be hating me for this. But when I was telling myself this, I was shaking my head, thinking about how awful it would have been if they hated me for something that I felt like was not really even my fault. But I guess that maybe I just wanted to hate myself. I felt like in a way, hating myself for something that was realistically not even my fault, would have been able to give me some form of a backing on how to have some emotions in my fucking life. Some emotions on how I could be able to cope with what I had, and the fact that I was going to be putting more effort into finding Emma than I ever put into finding them.

When I was standing right in front of my friends, I was seeing them both looking like they were really happy to be seeing me come towards them. As I was seeing them, a small part of me was feeling like I should have lied to them about what I was doing, in order to spare them from what I was forced to do now, and that way they would never be able to make any issue over what I had been going through now.

"Well, I think that this is not going to be going the way that anybody expects. And you want to know why? She just went missing as well. And now here I am, trying to go and fix that mess for them. You do not have to come along with me if you don't wish to. But of course you can if you desire." I said, and then after I had said that to them, they were looking shocked at the fact that I had just told them this, and were deeply wishing that I had been lying.

"Oh god, I can't believe that another one of our classmates is going missing as well." After Clyde had said that, he was shaking his head, as if telling himself that he needed to be realistic, and that he deep down knew that something like this was going to be happening at some point in time. "Well, what are you going to be doing now? Are you going to be going out there to find some answers, or do you think that you will just sort of leave it alone?" After he had asked me this, I was shrugging, as if feeling like any answer I would have would be all for not. That any answer I could give them was just not going to help out at all.

"I feel like I have to at least try. I feel like if I don't do that, then I truly did nothing good in my time here. And that is something that I will never really forgive myself over and stuff. But in a way, I feel like this is something that was meant for me. In a way, I feel like this is supposed to be my destiny. To try and find Emma, and bring her to safety." I said, only in the way that I was just wanting to make myself feel like I could be able to pretend like this was actually going to be worth it. I knew that I was lying through my fucking teeth, but I just wanted to at least try and make it seem like something good was to come out of what I had done. Both Clyde and Ronnie Anne looked at me, as if feeling like they were conflicted on their choice to make here.

"Well, we would not feel very right about letting you go out there on your own without having somebody at your side." Clyde decided, looking at Ronnie Anne, wondering if she was going to agree with this statement. She was slowly nodding, as if feeling like she would rather be having her life at risk but know that at least there was a small chance of being able to help me out was better than staying back, and not doing anything at all.

"Yeah, I will agree with Clyde. I mean, you are going out there, and you are forcing yourself to try and do something that nobody else is going to do. Nobody ever does anything about these guys. But I think that you are just going to be getting yourself killed without at least somebody at your side at the same time." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her slowly looking like she was ready to be taking this journey, to make sure that there was something going on that she could help take care of.

As I was starting to feel like this was all going to be fine, I was looking right at Ronnie Anne, sighing and then I was looking at Clyde, getting a much more serious face because I was wanting him to understand that there was something very important going on in my mind right now. "I need you to make sure that no matter what happens though, that Ronnie Anne is going to be safe. I don't care if this means that you have to leave me alone to get arrested or killed or anything. I would rather know that you two are safe than nothing else." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him looking like there was a massive part of him that wanted to protest this idea, but that he just could not.

"Fine, I know that you are really set on your choice right now. I don't agree with it, but I know that you are trying your best to make something work here. So I will support this as best as I could." After he had said that, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to not say anything else, in fear of what might come later. But at the same time, he felt like there was almost something good about the fact that I was going out and being a hero on my own regard.

"Thanks for understanding me. I have a clue alright, told to me by one of her friends, and I am going to be going there first. I just hope that it is actually going to help me out, and that it does not turn out to be a false lead or anything like that." I said, as both Ronnie Anne and Clyde were looking a bit curious on what I was even talking about here.

"Well, I was told that there was a guy that she was seeing at the gas station, and when I was suggested to go there, I think that maybe this would be a good starting point." I said, and then after I had said that to the two of them, they were both looking like they had some idea who the hell this guy was. And this was both something they were not really too shocked by, but they were also looking like they were wanting this to not be the case. Since if it was him, then they were going to have to find a way to make it seem like they were not going to be getting too terribly into his own business or anything like that.

"Well, I guess that trying this is better than nothing at all. I just hope that he is willing to actually willing to work with you, and not brush you off or anything like that." Clyde said, and Ronnie Anne was finding herself agreeing with this statement more than she was really wishing to. But at the same time, she was feeling like regardless of if this was something she would wish for or not, she had to just be realistic on this whole thing.

"Well, let's just make sure that there is not too much time that gets wasted here, so I think that maybe we should just head on out right away, and see what we can do to make this work." After Ronnie Anne was saying this to me, I was seeing her hoping that Clyde was not going to be getting too rough on what was happening at this point. That she was hoping that Clyde would respect that they needed to talk to this man as a part of the case.

Clyde was looking like he was trying to be getting as close to that as possible. As she was seeing Clyde starting to at least give off the impression of being somebody who was relaxed, and not at all annoyed with what was going on, the two of them were following me on towards where my car was. I was the only one of the three who drove, which meant that almost always I was the one who ended up getting the last call on what we were going to do. Usually if there was a disagreement they had on what to do, I was usually the tie breaker for that reason.

Eventually, I was hearing Ronnie Anne ask me a question that while I hated, I knew that it was a valid one nonetheless, and one that I felt like I needed to at least seriously consider, given the fact that I was probably going to be getting into some form of a life or death situation in a very short period of time.

"What if this does not work? I mean, that is a realistic possibility. That you are going to be getting yourself set up to be doing something, and then it will just turn out and fail. I mean, I think that even if it sucks to admit, you are going to have to consider something like this. I am just hoping that you can be able to be ready for such a thing." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to see what I would be telling her. I did not think that I would be able to find anything that could properly explain how I would feel on such a thing.

"I will just be ready for it. I mean, there is nothing else that I can be able to do besides just that. Talking about any other idea and any other wish is just not going to be making any difference. At least when I have a clear goal that I can go for, I can feel like I am making something actually work out." I said, and then after I was saying that to her, I was seeing Ronnie Anne looking like she had wanted to say more, but knew that I was not going to be making any real difference to this.

"I guess that you are always going to have hope. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. But it is something that I feel like I can at least try to respect. It makes me feel like maybe your family would be proud of the fact that you have not lost all the hope yet. And that maybe I should be like that as well." After she had said that to me, I was looking at her, and I was wanting to find something else to say now. But at the same time, I did not think that I was going to be making her feel better. I knew that she was just always going to be feeling awful, no matter what I would even try to remotely say to her in any way.

"I think that if I lose hope, then there is no point in even trying to act like there is something that can help me find out the truth of what is going on with my siblings. I mean, that is the thing that I want the most in my life. Is to go out there, and learn the fucking truth of my sisters. I think that if I don't get this, then I will be feeling a bit broken." I shrugged, thinking that I had said enough already, and that if I said anything else, I was just going to sort of be beating a dead horse. And that was something that they both deserved better than. And that was something that I needed to just focus on giving them, no matter what was head of me. No matter how hard this could possibly be. I got inside of my car, and the other two did as well, as I was starting it up and drove it to the gas station, ready to talk with that man.

"What are you going to be trying to say to him when you see him?" After Ronnie Anne asked me this question, I was shrugging a bit, as if feeling like that was not the most important part of what I was planning on here. I was feeling like the most important part was just finding a way to make sure that I could be able to discuss things with this man in a manner that was going to be making him feel like he was not being attacked or anything like that. I wanted him to be feeling like maybe he was being asked by a neutral party in the long run.

"Well, I will just see what I can be able to say to him, and see if I would be able to reason with him, and see if he is going to be able to finally open up and talk with me in a manner that shows that he is willing to converse with me like I'm an adult and stuff, and everything will finally come together. I am not really thinking that he is going to be making a huge issue out of this. I think that he just might not be super into this whole idea quite yet. But in a way, you can't really even blame him for feeling that way." I was saying, just wanting to see what I could say to them now.

"Well, I just hope that he will be willing to actually talk with you. I mean, if he is not able to, then I am guessing that you will just be trying to keep your mind at other things. Do you think that you would be able to get her parents to open up with you about some of these details? I mean, I think that something like this could be a valid place to be going to." After Clyde had suggested this idea to me, I was feeling like it was just not going to be work, no matter how much I had wanted.

"I doubt that I will be able to get them to be very open with me or anything. I think that I am going to just simply have to try and approach them in a relatively diplomatic approach. When I do that, then maybe they will believe that I have the best interest at heart. But I have no idea how I am going to be forcing such a thing to them." I said, and then I was just shrugging a bit, thinking that maybe I should have found something better to say, but that until I had more of a clue, this was going to be the best that I could be able to come up with, for better or for worse.

"I would probably have a easier chance to get that man to talk with me than either one of her parents. At least with this man, I could be able to find a way to get him to open up with me, and talk with me on the things that matter. But the parents are going to command up and down that they have no idea what I am talking about. They are going to be acting like the mere idea of me even trying to understand some things going on here would just be a crime. And that is something that I am not really in the mood to be going through." I said, and then I shrugged, thinking about the fact that neither Clyde or Ronnie Anne were going to understand what I had been feeling here.

"I guess that there is a small chance that this could be true. But I think that it is going to be worth the try at least. You know, to make them see that you do care in your own way. If you can do that, then I think they will at least be willing to try and talk with you. No reason to just act like they have no chance of talking." As Clyde was telling me this, I was feeling like maybe he was never going to be able to see what I was feeling, and why I was feeling like this. I was feeling like maybe he was actually starting to think I was a good man. Or at least a man who was not a coward in his own right. I felt like that was the only way to describe me, and that was the thing that I had hated the most about this life. The fact that no matter what I was going to do or say, nobody would be able to truly understand that I was not a good man for never really getting vengeance on what had happened to my sisters. That I was a fucking coward, and did not even try to do such a thing. I felt like if I wanted to keep them safe, I could have. In a way, I was feeling like I was just doing this in the slight hope that I would date Emma. I did not really want to do it for that, but my mind was telling me to be realistic.

"Well, I think that I should at least give it a try. I will talk to that man first. I think that speaking to that man is the best way to start this that I can. If he does not even speak with me, then I will do the parents. And if neither give me a clue, then I will probably start to concede that this was not really my spot to get into in the first place. And that I was fucking crazy for even thinking that I should have gone through with this anyways." I said, and then shrugged at this, thinking that they could be able to at least see this point that I was making here.

As I was feeling like I was going to be making this whole thing work out for the best, I was getting closer to the gas station, and the entire time that I was getting there, I was sort of just telling myself that I needed to find a way to get him to talk with us in the first place. Maybe I was going to just have to find something to say to him that could be able to hook him. Or I could be able to do something much easier, which was pretty much just to talk with him as I was buying something, and then when I was there, I could ask him some questions I had.

"I think that I have my first plan. So I will just simply go up to him, and ask him some questions as I am buying something. Maybe you guys can get something too, which can milk out that discussion by another few moments or something, and then after I do that, then maybe he will be willing to just tell me what he knows. At least for a couple of moments, and I can get a start that way. I think that it is something that can be worth a try at least." I shrugged, looking at the two friends, thinking that they were going to try and find a way to argue with me on this, and make me feel like I was making a big mistake.

"Well, I just hope that he is willing to talk with you. I doubt that it is going to be super easy. But there is nothing wrong with throwing your hat in the ring I guess. But do you feel like he would actually want to talk with you, considering the fact that you are nothing more than a customer in his eyes?" Clyde asked me, and I was feeling like I was going to try and force his hand into the conversation, even if he was going to hate what I was doing.

"I will force him to do it. I mean, I don't care. I have to know what is going on, since I made a promise. I told her friends that I was going to learn the truth of what happened to Emma, and I feel like it is my duty to make sure that something like this happens. I think that I need to own up to my end of the deal, and make sure that at least the effort is made here." I said to them, hoping that they were both going to at least pretend like they were able to see my point. I did not care if they didn't get it. I wanted to try my best to make a difference, no matter what it would take to get there.

Eventually, I parked the car, and then I left the car to get into the gas station. As I was inside of the gas station, that was when Ronnie Anne and Clyde went in right behind me. As I was inside of the gas station, I looked right right at the man who was sitting behind the cash register, looking like he was not even really giving much of a shit what people were going to be saying to him.

"You guys should be out on a party. I mean, you guys are going to graduate tomorrow. Not that it is any of my business." After I was seeing him say that to us, I was seeing the man look like he was kind of bored and tired. Like staying here was just the biggest drag that he had ever gone through in his entire life. I mean, there was a good chance that something like this could have been the truth. But at the same time, I just had no idea what to tell him.

"Well, I was wanting to ask you a couple of questions before I would be leaving you alone. I mean, I know that you are probably not really wanting to deal with any of that. But I promise that I will be keeping this as short as possible." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, he looked at me, as if just wanting to see what I was even trying to accomplish by saying any of this to him in the first place.

"I guess that if you really want to, then there is no reason to say no. I mean, I just might not really be able to understand it at all though." He was saying to me, and I was looking down, wishing that he was going to be going easy on me, and that he was not going to be trying to make me feel bad for at least just trying to reach out to him, but then I was thinking that maybe if I was in his spot, I could be able to start to understand how random this whole thing could have been.

"I had heard about a person who had just went missing a couple of days ago, and I was hoping that you could be able to give me some answers to this." Once I had told him that, I was just thinking that maybe he was going to think that I was officially going crazy about this whole thing. But then I saw him just looking like he was telling himself to get this conversation over with, and then after he was done, he would be able to try and force me away, like I had been nothing more than a bother. Which I guess that in a way, I probably was being a bit too rough with them. "I just heard that there was some stories about you and her and stuff." I knew that this was probably my biggest mistake here.

"Sure, maybe I did know her for a while. I mean, what is the point of knowing this? I think that this whole thing is just a bit strange. I feel like I really need to know what your investment to this whole thing really is." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him look absolutely genuine about his confusion on his expression.

"I want to try and find her. I saw some of her friends earlier, and they look like they are utterly broken about this whole thing. And I was told that this can be a good clue to be going with." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was looking at me, as if both thinking that this was insane, but also that this was something that he could respect about me. The fact that I was showing some sign of caring.

"I mean, to be honest, I doubt that I will be able to give you many answers here. But I am glad that you are at least trying to do something that you feel like matters. So I can maybe tell you something that might be able to help you out is all. I just wish that maybe I could be able to give you something else." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking at Ronnie Anne and Clyde. He did not really know how to feel about the fact that he had a group of people that he was sharing information with, and not just me.

"Anything is better than nothing. So if you feel like that is going to be able to help, then I will be willing to listen to this idea." I said, and then after I was telling him that, he was slowly nodding to me, and then he was thinking that it would be best to get it over with, and that there was a small chance of finding peace if he we were to do something like this.

"Well, I will be blunt with you. I did have a relationship with her. She was one of the many relatively younger women that I have dated over the years. And she was really liking this one place that I always took her at, most of the time by her own request. And I think that if for nothing else, that can be a good place to start your search." After he had said that to me, I was slowly starting to nod, as if feeling like we were getting somewhere with this.

"Where was that place? Any information on this matter is going to be very fucking important." I said, and then I was seeing the guy holding his hand up, wanting me to give him a fucking break. Then he was looking like he was willing to just tell me what he had known, and then we could be able to finally get an answer here.

"Well, it was the older skating ring. I mean, I know that it might be sounding silly to be going there. But I think that you would see why it was a popular attraction. She also liked to go bowling about once a month or so, and I think that maybe you could try and talk with the workers there. I mean there could be some people who really would understand where she would." After the employee was telling me this, I was thinking that this was a bit strange to go to.

"I guess that this is going to at least give me a start. I mean, I hope that the worker there might be able to give me a chance to finally talk with them about this." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, he was looking glad that this conversation was done with. I mean, he clearly looked like he was just tired of this talk, and that he was wanting me to be heading out on my own for the time being.

"Thanks for at least giving me somewhere I can be heading here." I said, and then after I had said that to him, he was slowly nodding, as if thinking that he was just not really going to be having a huge amount of investment in this whole discussion. He clearly wanted to say something else. But he was almost fearing over how cheesy that this was going to sound, and that he was not even going to be bothering with such a thing.

"If you do find her, just tell her that I am sorry for everything. I should have been there for her better. I should have been a good man to her. I should have made her even more loved than she had been. But here I am, a fucking failure. I messed up on everything, and that is all that I do know here." After he was telling me that, I was thinking that maybe he was needing to look at things with a more positive light here.

"You will be able to tell her yourself. She is going to be coming back. I will make sure that he does not fall back on this. He cares a lot about her." After Clyde told the man this, I was seeing the guy looking like he was sincerely hoping that he was going to be fully believing in this, and that he was trying to tell himself to just fucking do it.

"He has a lot of issues with his own life, and those basically make it so that he would never let something anything down. I think that he is going to bring Emma back to you, her family, and her friends and then we can move on for graduation." After Ronnie Anne said that, I was seeing her looking like she was truly respecting me and thought that what she had said of me was finally going to be getting this guy to be feeling like there was some hope now.

"If what you are saying is the truth, then I guess that maybe I am placing this statement in good hands." After he was saying that to us, that was when he was looking at me, as if truly just wanting to know what was going on with me, to help me finally understand what I was even wanting to do here.

"What happened in the first place? I mean, I am just really curious is all." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was genuinely just wanting to see what to be getting out of this whole thing. "I mean, you do not need to be telling me if you don't want to. I'm just a bit curious is all." After he had said that, I was seeing him just truly feeling lost on everything at this.

"Well, his sisters went missing over time, and he has never fully been able to move on. I mean, if I was in that spot to, I guess that I could be able to see it myself." After Clyde responded, and then the man was looking at Clyde, wondering what was even going to happen now, and why he was even worried about this whole discussion anyways.

"I think that I heard something about that over the news. That you were the only son, and you were the only one who was not going missing." After he had said that to me, to see if that was the truth, I was nodding slowly, and while I did not want to talk about this, I knew that there was no way I was going to be getting out of this.

"Yeah, I have no idea what the hell happened. I just want to find a way to get the answer. But I guess that something like this is just impossible. But I feel like it is really just a lost hope to even try to get the answer here." I said, and I was just wondering what the hell I was even going to be doing now. I was wondering if this man who would even pretend to understand what it was like to deal with this whole thing.

"Well, I think that maybe when I am done with Emma, I might be able to finally get over this, and find some answer that can give me a clue on how to find my sisters. But deep down, I know that this is never going to happen, no matter how much I may be wishing for this to be the case, I just need to know what to be doing here." I finished, and then I was getting to the door of the station, feeling bad for dragging a innocent guy to this case in the first place.

I was inside of my car, and I was unsure of how to feel about this guy, and if I should be feeling bad for this guy or not. I mean, he was clearly looking like this was something he was not wanting to deal with. But at the same time, I was thinking he sort of had this coming when he was choosing to date with a much younger girl. I mean, he was looking like he was probably in his fucking early thirties, and he is dating eighteen year olds. I mean, I am shocked that he was not going around and dealing with their parents legal records and stuff.

"Do you think that he cares about her?" Ronnie Anne asked as we were getting inside of my car. I was thinking about that for a bit. I mean, despite what I was feeling about the whole thing, I was unable to say that he did not care about her. I was thinking it was more of a matter of why he was caring about her that was bothering me. I think it was a why he cares more than a if he cared that was making me feel like something was going on here.

"I think that he does care about her in his own way. I think that he just needs to be alone for a while. I think that he is probably doing whatever he can to not be showing how much it is bothering him and stuff." I said, and then I was getting inside of the car, and I was feeling like I would be interested in seeing what Clyde was going to be saying to this whole thing. I was wondering if he was going to find a way try and make either one of us sound resoundingly wrong for having the ideas that we had right now.

"I still feel like maybe we should be going to her parents place at some point. But if you feel like that we don't need to worry about that for the time being, then I guess that I will try and see that maybe it would not be a good idea for now. But now that you have an idea, which place out of the two do you plan on going to first?" Clyde asked, and I nodded, thinking that this was a valid question to be asking here.

"Well, I think that I am going to try the bowling alley. Maybe pay for a game or two, and then after we actually give the workers there some service, we can ask him some questions, or maybe we can find some other people who might be there who would want to talk with us, if they are fine with interrupting a game of theirs." I said, and while I was not much of a bowling person, I was more than willing to play a game or two if it meant that I was going to get into the secrets of this fucking case. Ronnie Anne and Clyde seemed to be fine with this idea.

Once I had started up the car, and I was driving towards the alley, I was trying to find something to keep my mind off of the fear that was going on at the back of my mind. "Have you guys ever gone bowling before? My parents brought me to it when I was like seven or something. I was terrible at it though. I mean, I never really got much interest in it. But I guess that it must be pretty fun if so many people do it all the time." I said and I was just genuinely trying to find anything that can make this discussion seem less awful, and less like we were getting ourselves into a suicide run.

"I went a couple of times. One time I went because I barely had any money, and I was desperate for something to do, so I went and played a game for couple of hours. I think that was actually how I met one of Ronnie Anne's friends." After Clyde said that to me, I was seeing him looking right at Ronnie Anne, as if hoping for the confirmation. She nodded at that statement, as if thinking that maybe there was nothing worthy of not talking about there.

"Yeah, Sid was telling me about that. She was telling me that you were hanging out down there, so she decided to meet up and play with you since she did not want you to be feeling alone. Only after you guys started to play together did she realize that you were already hanging out with me and stuff. Then that was really able to click her in to being like ultra best friends with her. I think that maybe you should appreciate the fact that everybody is able to hang out with you guys easier." After she had said that to Clyde, that was when Clyde shrugged, as if thinking he was a sudden social butterflies.

"I think I only met this Sid chick a couple of times. I mean, I have no idea what she's like though. Do you think that she would be getting along with me fine enough?" I asked, for some reason thinking that this would be a big deal. I mean, I did not want her to feel like this was something to be forced, but at the same time, I just wanted to feel like I could have a chance after this night was all said and done.

"I think that there is nothing wrong with at least trying. She will probably be fair with you. I mean, she doesn't talk about you guys a lot. She's just sort of on her own level I guess." After she had said that to me, I was slowly nodding, as if feeling like maybe that was something that I could be able to roll with. But in the end, I was sort of wanting more out of it. I was wanting her to actually be friends with me in a way.

Once we were at the bowling alley, that was when we had left the car, and went right inside, not wasting any time on this whole thing. As I was looking around, I had seen that the worker there was looking a bit annoyed, and that maybe I should at least try and be nice with him throughout this whole thing. I did not really want him to be feeling like I was flooding him with questions. But then I was telling myself that what was going on with Emma was much more important.

As we were starting to pay for the game, I was then feeling like maybe I could be able to ask a question, just one, and see what he was going to say. "Hey, I was wondering if you can help me with something. After our game is finished, would you be willing to tell me if you know something about a girl who recently went missing? Her name was Emma, and I was hoping that maybe you could be able to help me out." I said to him, and he was looking like what he was hearing me ask of him was just a bit strange, and he was sort of looking like he had not wanted me to pursue this matter any further.

"Well, I can give you a couple of answers. But do not press me too hard. I don't know everything, and I might not even know all the things you want." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like despite how mad he was, that he was actually glad that somebody was wanting to speak with him about this stuff, and not pretend like it was no big deal. Since a part of him was hating the fact that none of these people who went missing would ever go on and talk with him.

I was then thinking about the look on his face, and I was thinking that I would keep it short and to the point, without making him feel like he was going to be forced to talk about this stuff for too much longer. "I hate it to. I get where you are coming from. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. I will see what I can do to make it all work out." I said, and then after I had said that, we were walking to the area where these games were supposed to be held.

"I'm not going to be all that serious about the game. I will just see what I can get." I said, and then I was feeling like when I told them that, I was going to be able to get them to feel happier about the fact that I was not going to give a single shit in the world if they ended up beating me or something. After all, it was just a fucking game, and nothing beyond that at all.

As we were playing the game, I would sit down in between turns, and was talking with Ronnie Anne and Clyde here and there. Short little pieces of dialogue, just to see if I could be able to get some more stuff to talk about with them, and see if I could be able to find something that can keep us together. "So I think that when I find Emma, I will just tell her the way that I feel, and then tell her that I am aware of her relationship, and that I will respect her from that point forward, and leave her alone." I said, and then I was wondering if that was going to helping out at all.

Clyde looked at me after I had said that to him. "I think that you should do such a thing. I mean, even if it fails, it will make her aware that you are there, and in a way, that will be making her feel like there is always going to be somebody who will make sure that she knows there are other options. I just hope that she would not mind the idea of you doing that and that she would not think you saved her to take advantage of her." After he had said that, I nodded at the fact that this was one of my fears.

"I am scared that she will be feeling that way. I mean, I guess that there is a relatively valid point here. But I want her to feel like I do care about her to. Which I really do. But I don't know if I will be able to find a way to show that to her in a way that will make her truly understand how much this is mattering." I said, and then after I had said that to Clyde, I was feeling like what I had said was a valid point, considering the fact that we barely interacted at that point in time.

"I hope that when I see her again, she will thank me at least. I feel like there is no way in hell that she will not at least be glad that somebody freed her from whatever the hell is going on. I will also promise her that I will find other people, and slowly bring them to safety as well." I said, and then after I had said that to Clyde, I did not know if he would fully understand my perspective on any of this stuff.

"I think that if you tell her that, and you are being serious, then you are going to really get her to understand that you do care. I think that you just need to show her that this is the one thing that you want to accomplish because you are not stupid, and you actually do have some form of a heart, to make things right." After he had said that to me, I was trying to tell myself that she would be like this, and that I was too worried over nothing.

Later in the game, Ronnie Anne and I had a bit of a talk ourselves. "Hey, I know that you are probably not all that focused on this stuff anymore, but I was wondering if you have any way of being able to really know what I would be able to say to these people to make them see that I want to help out as much as possible. I mean, they are probably not really going to fully comprehend what I am doing right now. I just wish that I could be there and help her more often. That is what I want." I said, and then I was shrugging, as if thinking that this mere idea was just going to be fucking impossible. But despite the fact that I was telling her that, I was seeing that Ronnie Anne was looking like she was still not fully aware of how much I cared here.

"I think that the only thing that is going to truly make a difference is the actions. I mean, if she does not think that you are somebody who really cares, then what can you really be able to do to change that about her? I am not even saying that to piss you off or anything. I am just being realistic on this." After she had said that to me, I was then sighing, wanting to find a way to argue with her, but I knew deep down she was right.

"But what if she does not ever want my help? What if she thinks that I am only doing it to use her or something like that? I don't want her to be thinking that. I feel like if she was feeling that way, then I would have accomplished nothing at all. I would have only made things even worse. But I guess that I just have to find a way to make her see that I would never want her to feel used." I said, and then I was thinking long and hard about what I had been saying here. And the fact that we were talking about a girl who did not know me at all.

"Hey Lincoln, don't worry too much about it. I mean, I do know that you care. Just because you might have a odd way of showing it does not mean you don't care. And I know that you don't want to make your sisters feel like nobody cared about that. And your way of showing that you do care is to make sure that these girls are safe. I think that you are smart and that you are a good man. Trust me, don't think too long about it." After she said that, I started to take myself easier, or at least trying to.

When the game was over, and I was about ready to head out, part of me forgot for a second why I was here in the first place. I placed the shoes back with the one man who had served us earlier. I was then getting right to the main point at hand. "Listen, I still feel like I need to discuss with you what is going on with that girl. Even if you may not be a huge fan of doing this, I think we both know that I am not going to be leaving you alone on this until we have our talk." I said, and then after I was telling the man that, he looked like he knew deep down he was never going to be able to fight with me on this.

"Alright, if you are still on about that, then I will try to tell you everything that I know. But do not be surprised if I do not really have any good answers for you or anything." After he had told me this, he was waving me to the back of the room, where he was telling a young teenager who was sitting down and reading a book to go and watch the area while he was talking with me.

The teen was kind of confused at the whole context of this, and I was willing to guess that he never had to deal with this type of statement before. But he knew that he was not going to get away with arguing with his boss. So he needed, and started to head out of the room, and then Ronnie Anne and Clyde were looking at me, as if wondering what to say to help me feel better here. I did not think that they could, so I was not even going to give myself the illusion that they would.

The man was sitting down on the couch that the teen had previously sat at. "I won't do anything. Just sit down, and we can talk about this as well as we could." After he had said that to me, he was looking at me, as if a bit worried on what I would be telling him at this rate. "I mean, I barely knew her. I just knew her as somebody who would come here every so often."

"When she was here though, what type of stuff was she talking about? Did she ever try to reach out to people and socialize with them? You know, beyond just her group of friends? I think that this can be a good start." I said, thinking that this was going to be the best start that I can have, and that if he was going to shoot me down, then he was going to be the one with the problem, since I was not even being rude about it or anything.

"Well, I mean, she was always just talking with her friends, and basically not doing much. I think that some of their conversations, from the few seconds I caught here and there, were a little odd. But I did not think much of it. You know, since it was none of my concern in the first place." After he was telling me that, I was then nodding, feeling like I had just gotten what I had needed, and that I just needed him to open with me about what exactly that conversation actually was.

"What were you able to figure out about that conversation? I mean, this can be pretty important, so I would really need to know." I said to him, and then he was slowly nodding, as if wishing that I would stop nagging him on the matter. But then he was thinking that he was going to be getting nowhere with that attitude, and that I was not even doing anything wrong either by these questions either, so this reaction was a bit much, even for him.

"Well, I don't really know. I do remember something about her talking about some random dude in a black coat. I mean, those conversations go on all the time though. And some of them come along and play some games here. How is that going to be connected with fucking anything that is going on here? But she was also speaking of something else that I sort of remember now." After he was saying that to me, I was seeing him looking like he finally had the next step of his plan figured out.

"This can really help. What was she talking about? Was she talking about something that could give off any hint that she was going to disappear soon." I said, and then he was looking like there was no real answer to that question, and that I needed to slow down with all the hero talk and stuff. To make it seem like I was not being super brash.

"She was talking about some man that she had been meeting earlier. And that her boyfriend told her not to hang out with that guy, in the fear that something would happen to her. She also said that her boyfriend only really went out with her for a couple of months by that point, and that she felt like she was still allowed to make her own choice." After the man had said that, I was sighing, at the realization that this choice of hers might have made things even worse for her in the long run.

"Damn it, I think that she might have been wrong to not take his warnings more seriously. Had had ten to fifteen years on her. He probably knew something that she did not, and she was rejecting him for this. I think that maybe there was something that he expected, and I should try and ask him about it." I said, and then I was wondering what my friends would say to this.

"I don't know what her and her boyfriend were talking about. In all honesty, I felt like it was none of my business, as they were just here to play a game, and she played with her friends, like she paid for, and that was all that there was to the matter. I did not really think too deeply into any of this." After he was making this confession to me, I was just trying to remember that he was a service person, and that he was not legally obligated to be helping me in any way, and that if I were to act pissed at him, I would be a fucking monster for doing so.

"Alright, I know that you were just doing your job. I know that it is not that big of a deal that you do not know this stuff. There was no way that you could or should have really understood what was to be coming." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was ready for me to try and lecture him about how in the future, he should be doing this. But I did not really feel the point in doing such a thing.

"I mean, there is nothing that I can even try to do without coming off as somebody who was over stepping his boundary anyways. I think that if I wanted to do something, then I would get in trouble for getting involved in things that are not my business. I mean, I know that people are going to tell me that this was a bad excuse. But it is the truth." After he was done with that, he looked at me, telling himself that he was just being realistic about what was going on here.

"Do you think that there is something about her case that can be connected to the alley though? I mean, not to put pressure on you, but I think that maybe we need to look at that type of stuff in a realistic light." After I was telling him this, he was stopping to think for a bit, as if he was feeling like there must have been something that could have been done here.

"Now that I think about it, maybe there is something after all. Something that you can use to get you started on whatever you are doing." After he had said that to me, I was then seeing him going to this one drawer. And he was looking through the material that he had. Then after several seconds, he was puling out a purse and hanging it to me. "I think one time, she left this here. You might as well put it to good use and see what was in here to help you out." After he said that, I grabbed it, ready for use and for clues.

Do you just keep everything that has been left behind here?" I asked and then only after I had asked did I realize how silly that question was. I mean, it just felt like a valid one in my mind at the time. But when I was thinking about it, I was feeling like there was virtually no reason that he would not have done that, in case if somebody were to show up again, and try to find their stuff once again. But I just had no idea what was going to be happening now.

"Well, I just feel like if something were to go missing, it would not be very fun to have that person come back and act like I fucked up or something just because this was their items, and they forgot to be taking it home. I don't know. Maybe I should not be too much of a asshole about it. But this stuff happens a lot more than you might be thinking that it does. That is the point that I am trying to make here." After he had told me that, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see what I would be reacting with now, since I now had what I needed with me to make a difference.

"Thanks for helping me out. I will see what I can do to make use out of this. I think that for better or for worse, this is going to be lasting quite a while. I am seeing what I am able to do in the mean time. I just hope that this is something that I can be ready for, and not something that is just going to be too much to handle at the last minute." I said, and then I shook my head, feeling like if I were to try and describe what I meant, them maybe this guy was going to be a fucking idiot or something. But I decided not to say anything on it at all.

"Hey, whatever you do, I hope that you will be able to find her. People deserve better than this. Her family deserves better than this. I don't know many things, but that is one thing that I do know." After he had said that to me, I nodded in agreement, and then I started to head out of the room, and I was having Clyde and Ronnie Anne at my side, as if they were just wondering what my next plan to the whole thing was. To be honest, I had no real plans, besides just looking in that purse.

"Well, I am just going to look in here, and I sure as hell hope that there is some fucking clues here. I would not want to look into this, and then feel like I had just wasted my time for literally nothing." I said, thinking about how annoying such a thing would have been, and I think that my friends could relate with me on that regard at least.

I was pulling out the purse contents, and I was seeing that there was stuff like a wallet in there. That was not that big of a deal to me, but I decided to open it up on the small chance that something could show up that I would actually need. As I was looking in it, I was seeing that there was a picture of Emma and that man from the gas station.

You know, for people that had only been dating for a couple of months, they seemed to be very content with each other. I wonder how nice that man was to her if he was able to swoon her over that badly in such a short period of time. I felt like maybe I should be like that one day when I am the one who is dating somebody. But then I was telling myself not to be thinking too much on it, because there were much more important things to be dealing with. That was the one thing that I was constantly telling myself. That I had a job to fulfill, and that was why I could not get too invested with what I was seeing in her back pack.

I then eventually found a piece of paper, and I had seen the piece of paper, I started to read it as well as possible. It was kind of hard to do that though, since the person who had been writing the note did not have the best hand writing ever. I mean, it wasn't unreadable, but it was a bit hard to actually fully know what they were saying without taking a while to really read it.

"I am happy for once in a very long time. I mean, there is a man who treats me with respect, I am about to graduate high school, and I have true friends. I feel like I am finally settling into the life that everybody that should have expected me to be living. I just wish that I wasn't so worried about the way that my parents would feel about the man that I am dating.

I mean, I am an eighteen year old woman after all. I can legally make the choices I want when it comes to the man that I am dating. Not that it matters, I am just thinking about what I am going to do after I am done with school. I mean, there are so many options in the country, but you need money to move out of here. And it seems like all of the towns here are not all that high paying jobs, so I will really just have to look around, and try my best to be finding something that is at least not total shit pay. But I think that this might be the hardest part." I read, and I was kind of confused as to why she had written that to put in here. Maybe she kept a strange version of a diary or something like that.

"That note was absolutely pointless and contributed literally nothing to the discussion. I will have to try and see what else is available for me to look at here. Since I feel like there must be something that can give me a clue on what I am supposed to do." I said, and then I was starting to look around, just trying to find something else that could be able to give me anything at all.

"I don't know if you are going to find something in there after all. I think that you might have to try and find something else that can help you out right now." After Clyde was saying that to me, I was aware that he did not mean for me to stop or anything. I knew that he was feeling like he was being realistic given the case that we were in. But at the same time, I wanted to find something in here. There just fucking had to be something that I could use.

"Well, I think that maybe that can be able to help out." Ronnie Anne said, looking over my shoulder, and was pointing to something that looked like a small blue container. I did not know if I should be ready for such a thing, but at the same time, I felt like I could be able to look into it.

I opened up the blue case and I was seeing that there was something that looked like a message or something silly like that. I was looking at the message a bit, and then I was sort of just telling myself something like this was not going to be getting me anywhere at all. I had looked right at Clyde and Ronnie Anne, and I was wanting to find something to say, but could not get myself to do it.

"Damn it. This whole thing is pretty much just fucking useless. Let's put everything back, so that way when we give it back to her, she does not think that we're some snooping assholes or something. Besides, I think that we could always use that whole skating ring thing. I mean, I am not a huge fan of that idea. But it is better than nothing at all. I mean, when we literally have nothing to work with, we might as well just take what we can get, and see how we are able to make a difference with this.

I was handing Clyde and Ronnie Anne the loose items so that way they would be able to take care of the cleaning up while I was going to be driving there. I was telling myself that this man better be telling the truth about where she was, or else he was going to be very sorry for dragging me there, and wasting my time for the lack of a better way of being able to describe it. But then again, I knew that he was not the one who was behind this whole thing. At least that was what I was assuming. If he had been, then there were other problems that I was going to be having with him. Not that I would ever learn the truth.

As I was driving on towards the skating ring, I was thinking about how such a relatively nice place would have been completely fucking ruined for me if this was true. I mean, this wasn't like my favorite place in the world to be going to, but there were times when I had people who hung out with me take me there, and the few memories that I have had of it had been pretty decently positive. So if this stuff was actually going on, then I would be fucking pissed. I would feel like I was stupid for not seeing what the truth behind it all was, and that I should have been brought down as the idiot that I was for not making the connection.

Then again, I was also thinking that if this was happening, and several other people were not able to see what was going on, then maybe I was not really a dumbass after all. Maybe I was just a man who had been unaware of the worst parts of life. And that is the fact that there could have been missing people in this town that were right in the area, if we had taken the time to go out and notice that they were there, and that we could have been able to actually save them. But I was thinking that it would not really matter what I had felt on the matter at the end.

As much as I was thinking this stuff, I was also reminding myself to be realistic. I was reminding myself of the fact that there were things that had been happening all around me this whole time, and that I needed to fucking relax, and not be acting like it was the end of the world if some pieces did not land together. It was not that everything needed to work together. My sisters and their cases taught me that what mattered was pushing through.

The idea of taking what was going on, and just making sure that you could be able to make the best of it that you could. When you do something like that, and you actually really see where they are coming from, and you really take it seriously, then you will be able to have a relatively easy time surviving the bullshit that was going on around you. I was telling myself that this whole time. I did not really know how well I believed it, but it was something that I needed to tell myself if I were to have any chance of making it feel like I was not going to be going insane.

"Lincoln, you seem really on edge right now." Ronnie Anne was saying as we were getting near the ring, and I was thinking about what I was going to be telling her, to see if she was going to be able to get it. Or if she was going to find a way to make me sound like my points were not valid. I mean, I did not really think that she was going to be trying to make me sound like none of what I was saying was going to matter. But come on... There was something much bigger at stake here.

"Well, I don't really know how to be feeling here. That is the best way that I can be able to describe it. I don't know if this is something that I am fully ready for. I am feeling like whatever happens now, I am just sort of going to be on my own here. I think that this is something that is always going to make me feel like nothing else matters." After I had said that, I was wondering what she would try to tell me now. What she was going to try and say that would make me feel like I was being too serious here.

I did not think that she was going to be overtly rude about the whole thing. But in a way, I was still not really wanting to hear it. I was feeling like if I was going to be told all of this, it would be like saying that my opinion was not valid.

"But Lincoln, I think that Ronnie Anne is right. If you are too on edge, then you might not be ready for what is to be coming up. You might not be having a clear head that can get you to understand what you are going to be up against. I think that she is having a valid point. Just try to keep a clear mind when you are in there." After Clyde said that, I nodded, trying to at least pretend like this was all fine and dandy. To pretend like I was not going to be on edge the entire time that I was going to be in that place, and that I was going to lose my mind at any moment.

"Alright, you made your point. I will try to be going in there with a natural mind. It might be really hard for me to be doing this. But I feel like I should probably try. I mean, nothing wrong with at least going in with a mind that will not be screaming at the top of my lungs, for me to clam down, and for me to hurt whatever is responsible for Emma going missing." I said, shocked at the fact that I was slowly starting to sound more and more like I was going to be at least attempt to keep a neutral mind on this whole damn matter, even if it was hard to do.

"I will see what I can do once I get in there, and I hope that I will be able to make it as short as possible." I said, and then I stood up, after I took a knife out of the glove compartment. What I did not realize at the time was that this would pretty much be my staple weapon for my entire fight through this whole story that I will be telling you soon enough. Anyways, so after the knife was grabbed, I was leaving the car, and then I was going inside of the storage shed that was at the park.

Considering the fact that this was the only building in the area, I knew that this was going to be the best area to start. So when I walked inside, after messing with the lock for a bit, and then I went inside. Once inside, I was seeing that there was a couple of beds in the area.

When I saw the beds, I saw that one had looked like it had just been recently used, and the other was having Emma on it. I had no idea what the hell I was looking at. Trust me when I say that not knowing what was going on here was more scary than seeing Emma here. I was not sure of what to say, or how to react, since I had no idea what the hell was even up with the place anyways. So with that in mind, I was just walking forward to her, to see what I could do to speak to her and get her out of this weird place.

After I had started to get to that, I was hearing a person walking around. I looked up, and saw that it was some dude who looked to be about twenty six or so. I was thinking whatever was going on here was his fault, and I did not even give him a chance to speak or do anything. I had a feeling that this was going to be the only way out, and that was what I cared about for the sake of Emma.

I stabbed him right in the chest before he was able to react at all. After I had done that, I was seeing him groaning a bit, just trying to find a way to react, and that as he was looking at me, he was simply looking like doing such a thing was just not going to even work out at all for him.

Once I took the blade out, only then did I realize what I had done, and that maybe he was not deserving of such a thing. So I decided that made as he was falling to the ground, I would grab him, and then i would listen to him, and see what exactly was going on, and if I had made the right choice on this whole thing or not.

"Oh my god, I did not mean to go and kill you." I said, and I was actually meaning what I had said here. Only after this moment was over did I realize how wrong I was in what I had done. "But can you go on and tell me what is going on here? Can you tell me why you were going on and doing all of this in the first place?" I asked, just trying to be as calm and fair about this as possible. I was feeling like I was just needed to be respectful to him.

"I guess that this was bound to happen sooner or later? I just wished that maybe I would have been able to do something more out of it before I had it happen to me. But I guess that maybe this was bound to be at my mind forever." After the man was saying this to me, I was just rather confused at what he was talking about. I just felt like as long as I was going to be nice with him, he would be willing to speak with me over what the issues were.

"What is going on? I need to know, that way I can be able to tell the police about what is happen. And then that way the two of us can be avenged." I said, feeling like he needed something like this to be said to him after I had just killed him. As I was saying this to him, I saw Emma looking at me, as if pissed at the fact that I had talked with this man like this. But also almost half interested in seeing what this man was going to be telling her now.

"If you report this to the police, you will be doing something that will not even matter. Nothing about this even matters to the police. They pretty much don't care about what we have to deal with. This town only thrives on the dirt and the anger and the corruption of this place. That is the only thing that matters to them. You might not understand this so far, but you will be able to surely get it when you listen to everybody else." After he had said that to me, I was just trying to understand where he was coming from now.

"What do you mean? I think that I need to know where you coming from here. If I know what you are meaning here, then I will be able to help you." I said, and then after I was telling him this, he was then sighing, just trying to get over the fact that he was talking about this while he was dying, when he could have talked about other things in this life, that made him feel better.

But he was feeling like in a way, he had deserved this after everything that had been going on here. "Well, this town was created off of one concept. A concept that forced every male in this town to basically be production machines in some form of fashion and all the girls to pretty much just follow suit. In a way, I was a victim of this standard that has been set up here." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking a bit sad over the fact that he could have had a life that he would have been proud of, but was taken away of that to do whatever job he was talking about.

"And us men have to spend the rest of our lives doing this job. I mean, we can continue going until we're like a hundred years old, and we are pretty much forced to do this until we drop dead. Have you noticed that before? Have you actually stopped and noticed what is going on with us as well?" After he asked that, both Emma and I, when we looked at each other, looked perplexed, but then when we were thinking about it, we realized he was telling the truth.

"The fact that men are legally not allowed to retire at this city? The fact that we are legally required to work here our entire life, even when we are in our eighties, while the very few women who work here are able to retire at relatively early ages?" I asked, and then he was nodding. But then he was getting back into talking about something else.

"Look, I know that you are not going to get it. And to be honest, I wish that I was at that age where I could be like you again. But you need to understand something. I was forced into this job. I was doing it to protect the ones that I loved. You would have done the same to protect them as well." After he had said that to me, I stopped, looked for a moment at his pleading face, and in that moment, both Emma and I saw the sincerity of his statement, and the feeling like he had been lost to god.

"I would have done the same to protect the ones that I love. And I did. By coming along and trying to find a way to save the classmates I have at my school. And in fact saving one. But I wish that I had the courage to do the same with my sisters." I said, and then after I had told him that, he was looking like he had wished to say something to make me feel better, but could not be allowed to do this.

"You do not get it. I do not mean it like that. I mean it in the way that I and hundreds of others are forced to. I mean, come on, if we were not do to this, then we would be getting ourselves killed. And I doubt that anybody would want that. For us to be killed or anything. I think that people would want us to at least try and have some form of a good life after this. I was wanting to go out to California, and live in the West Coast. Get a job there. But then I was forced to stay at a town that has no regard to anybody who lives in it." When he said that, I saw that he was wanting to say more, but could not be able to get himself to do it before I understood what he was talking about here.

"I don't know what is going on here. I will not even pretend like I do. But at the same time, I feel like you are telling the truth in that whatever you did, which I don't know what it was, that you did not want to do this." I said, and then I was still mad at him. I knew that he was lying to me, and that he had done something to Emma. I could still hate what he had done, and still have utter anger over this, but see that there was a man who suffered underneath.

"Trust me when I say that I wished that I had a better way out of this. I had no choice to do what I did though, and that is something that I have to just accept. I had no choice but to just take full responsibility for what I did." After he was saying that to me, I was then shaking my head, and I was just feeling like I needed to fully understand his perspective, but I had been scared on what the perspective was going to be now.

"Well, either way, and I don't know what is happening, I think that you deserve to sleep. I will try to not forget this conversation. But I doubt that it will not matter. You still got involved in something that I want no part of whatsoever." I said, and I was just trying to decide if it was his fault or not. But at the same time, I saw him just thinking that no matter what he had said, nothing would matter.

"I just hope that one day you will understand. Maybe in a way, you already have. But I guess that nothing I say will be making any difference." After he had said that, he closed his eyes, and I felt his heart for a couple of seconds, and realized that he was dead.

Then with that, I threw him down on the ground, and then I was looking right at Emma, thinking that it was time to be getting out of here. "If we do not leave soon enough, there will be some guys here that will make that guy look like godsend in comparison. And trust me, you do not want to see them." Emma said, and then with that, we went inside of the car, and I was ready to bring them back. I brought Ronnie Anne and Clyde back and then all that was left was Emma, where we had a short conversation on what to do next.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there. I mean, I did not have much to be saying back there. I guess that I was just shocked that anybody cared enough to be coming along and bringing me back. But when I had seen that, and seeing somebody bring me back, even after just a few days, shows me that somebody does care about me." After she had said that to me, I was seeing her looking glad to be saying this to me, knowing that she really could be able to reach out and try to somebody who was going to be able to make her feel like she could be safe.

"Can you tell me what the hell is going on here? I mean, I feel like I need to understand what I am getting into before I commit to anything at else." I said, and then after I had asked that of her, she was shaking her head. I did not know why she was shaking her head, and the full context of this all, but she was able to clarify what she was meaning right away, to help me sort of have a different perspective on what I was getting myself into here.

"I don't really want to drag you into this whole thing. If you were to know what I am talking of, you would be beyond confused, and you would probably be thinking that I had been lying about this. But I guess that if I were to try and tell you this stuff without any context, then you would be talking about how unfair this whole thing was." After she had said that to me, I was slowly nodding, as if thinking that maybe she knew me better than she would have ever thought that she would.

"The truth is that I think you should just run. I mean, come on, you literally just killed somebody who was involved with this. I think you know how much this is going to put you at risk. If you want any chance of being able to survive, then you need to just leave this place, and never come back." After she had said that, I was shaking my head, thinking that this was too much to handle.

"I don't know how to be feeling about this. I feel like I just need to think about this for a bit." I said, and then before I even could say any more, she placed her hand on my shoulder, and was basically in the nicest way possible telling me to stop talking, and that she had been clear on the point that she had been making here, and that I was not to argue with her on any of this.

"I don't know how you will eventually feel about this, but in all honesty, in a way, I don't care. I want you to get the hell out of here, and I want you to be safe. I know what is going on here more than anybody that you know. I want you to have at least some form of a chance of being able to have a normal life." After she had said that to me, I was sighing, thinking about what I was hearing her telling me, and if I should just respect the fact that she was at least trying to help me out.

"Alright... I am guessing that you are not going to be reversing your choice on this... I guess that I should do this. I will at least leave a note for my family. That way they and my friends know that I did not go missing, and that I am just leaving on my own." I said, and then after I had said that to her, I was seeing her smiling at that. She was looking glad that at least I was having the smarts to be listening to her, and that I was not going to be trying to make a argument with her on this anymore.

"Hey, I am glad that you are caring so much. I appreciate you trying, and I think that this is something that can make you seem like a good person. But trust me when I say that you need to leave this alone now." After she had said that to me, I was nodding, and then I felt like I needed to head out of the house, thinking that maybe when I was going to be home, I would finally find a way to make this note seem like my family was not just thinking that I did not care nearly enough for what was going on.

"If I know how to find my sisters though, I will come back here, and I will avenge them. I hope that you can understand that." I said, and then I was seeing Emma looking like she had started to concede that maybe this was a good point, and that maybe she would be fine with this, since it was at least sort of keeping a open mind.

"Yeah, I think that this is fair. But unless if something like this happens, stay out of here. Stay at home, and live a life. Actually become a man that you want to. Just because I and so many people have had our lives thrown away does not mean that yours should be as well. But I hope that in several years from now, when this all dies down, maybe you can meet me here again, and then we can discuss how life really has become now." After she had said that to me, I was nodding, trying to find a way to make this seem like it was not bothering me all that much in the end. But I did not really know if that was really going to be possible at all. But at the same time, I was just thinking about how sour this whole thing went. And how things would have went if I decided to just stay home and not done any of this. I would have given myself some false illusion to a hope here.

"But before you go, I do have something that I want to show you." After she had said that to me, I was sort of unsure of what to be saying, but at the same time, I was really excited on what was going on. I looked at her for a while, just waiting for her to tell me what this was, or in her words, to just show me, and get it over with.

"What is bothering you?" I knew, and I knew even then that this was a dumb question, but I felt like I just needed a moment to really comprehend what I was doing here, and what she was going to be doing. But before I could say a single word, she ended up kissing me. As she was kissing me for a couple of seconds, I was shocked at the fact that this was happening. But shocked in a very good way. I was not expecting her to do this, and I was finally feeling like maybe there was a good price to all of this. That maybe what I had done was finally worth it all.

"Thank you for helping me. It is the least I can do for you before you go. I will try and get my boyfriend to go on a nice vacation with me. Or at least to take a day or two off, to watch graduation. I will be trying to live up to your heroism." After she had said that, I was nodding to sort of think that maybe this was a good idea, and that she was at least going to be doing something that she was sort of proud of.

Then with that, she got out of the car, and went to her house. As I was waiting for several seconds, I sighed, and then started to drive. I knew where I was going to be going. I was going to be going back to my original home in Mississippi, and live there of the rest of my life. Trying to just pretend like nothing mattered anymore. That was after I wrote a message to my parents to give to Clyde and Ronnie Anne, that way they knew what they were going to be expecting. I will tell you the full note when I come back here and have my next narration turn. Then with that, I was starting to run away. I ran away. So fucking far away. Trying to get away. And despite how much I had hated to admit it, at first, I could not get away.


	11. The Boy and the Meteor

Chapter Eleven: The Boy And The Meteor

Hey, it's T.K. back again. But this time, I have a slightly different story to narrate for you guys. This story started back a few years before the one with Jeffrey Woods. One that really helped me initially see that maybe we were not all alone in this world, for better or for worse. The adventure that I had that started to make me feel like we were going to have a long life ahead of us. I had no idea what the hell I was going to be ready for, and that was something that as a kid, was the most scary thing in the entire fucking world to be going through.

I just don't really know what to say to this whole event. I mean, as hard as it is for me to admit, this story of mine was actually harder than the one a couple of years later to deal with. This was the one that made me feel like my life was never going to go back to the way that it was. I mean, I have no better way of being able to describe the whole thing besides just that.

I was ten years old at the time of this story, and when I was trying to sleep one night in the summer of my year. I was just finally feeling like I had a place to stay at. A place to hang out, and a place where I was going to be able to settle down and have some fun for a year. I was feeling like nothing was ever going to be able to lift me out of this place. But I guess that such a thing was just going to be a bit of a false hope. As much as I hate to admit such a thing.

When I was trying to sleep that night, I was hearing a decently loud noise. I had no idea what that noise was, and that was the thing that was scaring me much more than I wanted to vocalize out loud. I was looking out the window, just trying to see what I was going to be looking at. I mean, I was thinking that there was no way that it was going to be anything of too great of controversy. In fact, I was feeling like it was just me trying to have a imagination beyond what I could be able to really handle here and stuff.

Besides, I was knowing that nothing was going to get me in trouble. I knew that I was going to be able to do whatever the hell I wanted, and that when I was going to check, it would be just that. It would simply be me looking out the window for a moment, and then just going back to doing my own thing. But what I was seeing was something that I will be honest with, I was really not expecting. I was not expecting that there would have been any chance in seeing what I had saw in my entire life, at that moment.

I had seen something like a meteor falling down from the sky, and as I was looking and seeing it coming to earth, I was feeling like I had seen something that was truly a jack pot. Something that was going to be making me feel like I had seen the most revolutionary thing in my entire life. I had wanted to see if there was anything that would be coming out of this meteor, and if there was something that I can be able to make a story on. But to be real with you, that type of thing was a bit scary for me to even imagine trying to know.

I was looking at my parents, who were off doing their own thing in the living room. I knew that if I were to get caught, I would be in so much trouble. But I was feeling like if I did not get caught, and I was able to go down there, and see what this had to offer, than it would be the most exciting thing in my entire life. I felt like I just needed to at least try and see what I could be able to catch from this entire thing.

I knew that nothing I would do would make things seem less awful to them if I were to get caught. But at the same time, despite everything telling me to not be going out and making a issue, and not to be doing something that I knew was wrong, I knew that the meteor was well worth it. Besides, I knew that other people were going to be doing such a thing in the first place. I knew that people were going to check it out if they had wanted, and that just because I was ten, does not mean that I should not be allowed to be given that chance to do something like this as well.

Even though I knew that it was going to be considered one of the worst choices on my life, I was finding myself not giving a shit at all. I was feeling like I needed to just take advantage of having a daring and outgoing personality, and that by doing that, I was finally going to be putting it to good use. I knew that I was going to finally get something to talk about that I knew that nobody else has ever seen in my friend group. I was telling myself that the pros far out weighed the cons in every single way possible.

When I was thinking of that, I was getting ready to follow through with either the best or the worst idea in my entire life, and that fear of not knowing which one it was had been the only thing that I had felt like was going to be a valid reason to make sure that I did not go through with this. But at the same time, I was telling myself that surely my parents must have done something fucking retarded in their own lives as well. And that by doing this, I was no better or worse than them. Just a different breed of the same in my own sense.

I opened the door as quietly as I could, and as I was doing this, I was taking a long and deep breath, and I was outside of the house. I knew that this was going to be the moment of truth, one way or another. I was thinking that whatever I was going to be doing was going to be totally worth it, and that I needed to relax a bit. That I needed to not be all that worried about what I had been telling myself was a terrible idea. I felt like there was no way that what I was doing was actually wrong at all. I felt like this was just something that I needed to try and rehearse on myself though in case if I were to get caught. I still felt like something like this was going to be very important to do, since I did not want this whole thing to be getting any worse if I were to get caught in some way. But in a way, I guess that this was sort of me being selfish. I guess in my own small way.

As I was getting closer to the fallen object, I was telling myself more and more that everything was going to be fine. That I would never get caught for what I was doing. That I would never get in trouble for any of this. I truly felt like I was going to be good. I truly felt like this was the path that I needed to take. I truly felt like in a strange way, this was my destiny.

"I was wondering if there were any other kids that were going to have my idea. Or if all of them were forced back from their parents in the fear that something could happen to them if they went out there. I knew that what I was thinking was a valid concern, but in a way, no matter what the situation was, I was finally having something that I could be able to brag for, and something that I can say I was part of. For some reason, at my mind at my age, that made it all worth it. That made all of the chances of trouble totally seem like it was a small price for me to pay.

But one thing that I had been telling myself was that it was going to be my brother, not my parents, who would make this hard to get out of. Sine he had a stupid idea that whatever he said was better and more valid than me, and that I needed to accept when he said something as the fact of line in a way.

When I was standing in front of the meteor, for some reason, I was feeling that whatever I was going to be doing now would be putting me in great danger. Beyond simple getting yelled at by my parents, which was something that I knew that I was going to be able to get over in due time. I knew that nothing else was going to matter if this was to do something to me though. Which I truly like in that moment, staring at it, and just sort of not doing anything, was making me much more prone to whatever was going to be happening now.

It was just the fact that when I was staring at the meteor, I had no idea what I was going to be getting myself into. That was something that I was slowly finding myself accepting. The fact that I had no true idea what I would be handling if I did not at least try and be careful from this point forward. And as I was sort of making myself aware of the fact that this was really dangerous, I was telling myself that I needed to at least try and find a way to be staying calm this entire time.

I felt like if I was going to be making a huge deal out of this, then I was going to have to find a way to make it seem like I was not caring too much over what I had been placed into. But at the same time, I was just staring at how majestic this whole thing was. The burning sight it had for several seconds was a sight that I wanted to look at. For some reason, looking at that was quite a great sight, and I knew that in my mind, that was going to be making it all worth it. Looking at a meteor that had come here, and was still having its melting point coming around.

I was starting to try and walk closer to it, knowing that I was starting to slowly more and more be taken back by how great it was before I could be able to actually think logically on what I was doing. I knew that I was not using my brain on this matter. I knew that there was no way that this was actually going to be a smart idea. But in a way, I did not care if it was a smart idea. All I cared about was that I wanted to do it. I knew that it was going to be fun.

I was thinking that if I was wanting to finally make my mind at ease over what I was doing, then I was going to have to at least try and look at this from a logical perspective. But I was ten, there was no way that I was going to be looking at things from a truly logical perspective. I mean, I wanted to, but there was no way in hell that even if I was truly putting all my cards on the table, that I could be able to do such a thing. And that was why I was focusing on instead just seeing what would happen if I were to be getting any closer to the object.

"Do you actually think that this is going to be a good idea? I mean, I want to go there as well, but I am thinking that maybe your parents would not be into such a idea." After a voice was saying that to me, I was looking right at her, wanting to find a way to speak with him. To tell him that this was my own choice, and that I needed to have him relax on what I was doing.

"Oh trust me, I am not really all that worried about it. I am just sort of wanting to see what I could find if I stay there for a while. Besides, it's just a meteor. There is no way that anything too awful is going to be coming out of it." I said, thinking that what I had told him was going to be putting me one step above him. But he was looking like he was wanting me to stop and actually look at things from a relatively realistic perspective.

"But maybe you should be worried about it. I mean, what if there is something in there, that is going to be getting out towards you." After he had told me that, I was looking to a different direction, to sort of do a low key eye roll, and then after that, I was looking right back at him, thinking that maybe there was a slightly valid point to what he had been telling me.

"Okay, well say if I did stop looking at this, what would you suggest that I do? You know, just leave out on one of my most exciting things that I have ever seen in my entire life?" I asked, and then after I had asked him that, I was seeing him looking like maybe I was not really going to be letting down on this. That I was going to be firm on what I had said, and that he was just trying to find a way to make me feel like I was at least being safer now.

"I think that maybe you should be letting authorities look at it. They might be having a better idea on what they are going to be seeing than either one of us. And maybe when they feel like people can be able to look into this, then we can be able to check it out." After he was saying that to me, I was feeling like maybe I was going to have to try and listen to him here. But at the same time, the temptation was still getting to me, no matter how else I was describing it, the temptation was still sort of taking me over, just to have one single damn touch.

"Alright, so I guess that maybe you do have a point here. But I mean come on, what can one simple touch do? I mean, that is all that I am wanting to do. Just take a single touch, and then I can be able to move on with my life here." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing him looking like he was sort of accepting the fact that maybe there was something slightly appealing to the idea of giving it one check. That maybe one single touch was actually going to be kind of exciting. So as he was thinking about that for a while, he was sighing, thinking that no matter what he was going to be trying to tell me, there was no way out of this. And he was probably not wanting to admit to having some interest in the subject as well.

"Fine... I may not want to admit it, but I am kind of interested in seeing how things turn out as well. So I guess that maybe one touch is not going to be all that bad after all. I can't believe that I am actually finding myself agreeing with this right now." After he was saying that to me, I was finding him just slowly walking there, telling himself that this was going to be one look, and that when this was done, and he had done what I had been wanting him to, then we could be able to move on and just find our way out of here. That we could be able to look at this from a relatively logical perspective.

"You are so cool for wanting to check this out. I was worried that you were just going to be telling me that I need to try and actually look at things practically. And then you were going to be taking all of the fun out of it." I said, and then he was rolling his eyes at this statement. He was probably not wanting to deal with this too much, but he was thinking that I was just going to be the more dangerous out of these two guys, for better or for worse, I was never going to be looking at things from his eyes.

Once he was right next to me, and we were looking at the meteor, I was seeing him looking like his temptation was starting to get to him as well. He was clearly feeling like as he was taking in the information, that this was all that he had wanted to do. That he was never going to truly hide the fact that he had wanted to do this, but that he also did not need to do this either. That it was a hidden conflict with him.

"Alright, so maybe it was not such a bad idea to be checking this out. That being said, I feel like there is still a level of safety that we should be taking here. You know, to make sure that nothing happens to us or something." After he wads done saying that though, there was a instant and sudden change in what he was thinking, as he was looking right at me. "So, I know that you are probably going to be thinking that this is a bit out of nowhere, but would you mind telling me your name?" After he had asked me that, I was looking at him, totally sure that this was strange, but at the same time thinking that maybe it would be best to give him a chance, and see what was going on in his mind.

"My name is T.K. What is your name? This is the least that you owe me after forcing me to talk with you about how I should not be doing this thing?" I asked, and then after I had asked him this, I saw him looking like he was wanting to say more, but then decided that maybe I was onto something there. He did force me into this, and he was thinking that maybe just giving me a simple answer was not going to be all that big of a deal.

"I'm Ness. I have been living here for year and a half. I have seen you around, and was wondering if you were enjoying this town." After he asked, I shrugged, not thinking too much about it. I mean, he was being nice at least, but I guess that Onett was just not that interesting of a place. But it was the only place I ever lived this whole life, and as a result, I had to accept it for what it was.

"I have never lived anywhere else. So it is the best place I have ever lived at by default." I said, trying my best to be sounding amusing, but I knew that even to myself, I was kind of failing to accomplish that. I just wished that I would have been able to slightly lighten up the mood of the fact that I knew deep down inside, we were going to get into immense amounts of trouble by staying out here, and that there was nothing I can do to change that now.

"Where did you live originally? I was just curious to see if that place was any better." After I asked him that, he was shrugging. The thing about living in Indiana your entire life was that most people would associate this place as being a relatively boring state. I mean, I guess that when you live in states like New York or California, it would be pretty boring. But come on, at least it wasn't like Wyoming or some stupid stuff like that. There was no way in hell that this was the most boring state out of all of them. I refused to believe that in any case at all.

But in a way, I guess that my opinion did not matter. Most people were going to be telling me that I was needing to accept the fact that I did not really know what I was talking about. Before I could vent any longer in my mind, Ness gave me a quick answer. "I was originally from Iowa. I moved here when my parents decided that corn fields and stuff were not really in their style. So I have been here since. I mean, this is a okay place for what it is." After he was saying that to me, I was then nodding, feeling glad that he did not totally talk shit about my town, when I knew it was not the most exciting place in the world to live in, and did not need to have people rubbing it in my face every second.

"Well, I mean as long as you do not hate the place, then I guess that it was not that big of a deal. But I don't really know what else to say. I guess that it is not really in my place to be taking so much about this whole thing." I was saying to him, sort of getting over it soon enough, and thinking about the fact that we were still here, and probably by now making some form of a scene to people who were coming by, and just sort of minding their own business.

"I think that it is not all that big of a deal. I think that I just need to focus on getting home now. I mean, I know that if my parents see what I am doing, they are going to be furious. I mean, I don't really know what it will be like if they are going to show that anger too much around me, but I do not want to be taking the chance here." I said, and then after I was telling Ness that, I was seeing him looking at me, as if he was feeling like he just could not fucking believe that he was hearing me say this after all of the big case that I had made on it earlier. I guess that maybe it was a bit hypocritical in his own way. But I did not think that I wanted to really say too much on it, without having him be getting in my case on it and stuff.

"Do you want to go and maybe hang out with me a bit while I am heading home? I think that this could be a bit of fun." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of wanting to go along with it, to not be making a huge case out of this. And that in the end, he was sort of thinking that maybe something like this could be fun after all.

"Yeah, I guess that maybe we can do that for a bit. I hope that your parents are not going to be too rough in your case about it or anything. Since you were just going on and checking this place out and stuff." After he was saying that to me, we were starting to be going back to my house. Maybe as we were heading on towards my place, I was going to try and start to maybe make something work here. That maybe we could be able to make this conversation feel like maybe we could be able to make something work out at the end. I did not really believe it was going to go super well, but I wanted to at least try.

"So Ness, what else are you planning on doing before the school year kicks back into action?" After I asked him this, he was shrugging, as if he was unsure of if he was going to have a very exciting response. Maybe he was thinking that no matter what he was going to say, I was not going to be all that impressed. But I felt like he at least deserved a chance, and that was something that I was certainly willing to give him, if he was willing to let me have that chance. But in a way, part of me was telling myself not to be forcing this onto him. Not to be forcing a friendship onto a guy who might not be all that interested in this whole thing, since I knew that this would only make things worse.

"I mean, I am just trying to find some new friends here. I know some people that I can hang around with, but nothing too interesting. I think that you would have a greater chance in finding a exciting friendship with somebody like the picking your nose guy." After Ness said that, I could not help but slightly chuckle at that. Knowing exactly who he was talking about, and how awful it would be to even try and make something work with that guy. But at the same time, I did not think that Ness was that bad of a guy. And that maybe he needed to treat himself with more respectful here.

Before we were able to even say more, there was a car that was parking near us, and then rolling the window of the passenger seat down. I was scared out of my fucking mind right away, and in less than twenty seconds, I knew that I had made the wrong choice by going on this quest. I knew that I should have been thinking about this whole damn thing before I went to it. That being said, I was just telling myself that we needed to see what this person was wanting to do with us, as a form of not creating any more resistance than we needed here.

"Get inside if you know what is best for you. I am not going to be messing with you on this right now." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking terribly serious on this. I was thinking that this was going to be the one thing that I would have to do if I were to have any chance of being on his good side. As I was thinking about what we were going to be doing, I was just then thinking about what would happen if somebody questioned Ness, since he had virtually nothing to do with this, and I had forced him into this whole story and it was not his fault what was to be happening now.

As I was thinking that, I was just getting inside of the back of the car, and then Ness was going inside as well. He clearly knew that resistance was the worst thing that he could do in the moment. As this happening, Ness was thinking of if he should be saying something, or if he should just be quiet about what he was fearing.

"We know what you had seen back there. We know what you are thinking of that sight. And we are going to be having a very serious talk with you about what you should be doing here." After he had said that to me, I was seeing Ness looking utterly terrified, and I could not even blame him for this. I knew that maybe he deserved better than what he had been dragged into here. Well, fuck that, I did not think that, I knew that with all of my heart and soul. I had brought him into something that he did not deserve, and I was thinking that maybe I needed to keep that in my mind.

The more that I thought on it, I decided that I would fight for his safety in a way. At least try to be giving him a chance to be getting him out of here. "He has nothing to do with it. He found me there, and I was sort of dragging him into all of this. Trust me when I say that he does not need to be punished by any of this." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was seeing the man who was driving looking right at me for a split second, as if wondering what the heck I was even trying to do by talking to this guy like this, and trying to save Ness.

"Even if he has nothing to do with what you are doing, we need to make sure that neither of you go around and do anything that can make things worse for everybody. We need to make sure that you guys get the message loud and clear." After he had said that to me, I was looking down, feeling like I needed to try harder, but that maybe this was the best that I could be able to do given the situation, and I hated how well it was turning out against me.

Ness gave me a look as if he was saying 'thanks for trying at least' before looking right back at the man once again. "What are you going to be doing once you are questioning us?" After he had asked the man this question, there was no answer for several seconds, and that maybe doing this was his sign that maybe he had taken this whole thing too far. That was when maybe Ness was going to have to try and find a way to be getting himself out of this better.

"Well, we are going to be talking long and hard, enough to get it in your head, the dangers of what you are doing, and we can discuss the way that you can get yourself to be getting through this without too much resistance. I think that when you understand why we are like this, then you can be able to work with us from now on." After he had said that to Ness and I, we were both looking at each other, scared of what was to be coming, as well as what he was doing here.

Despite the fear that I was having, in a way, fighting him with this was going to be even worse. I knew that no matter what we were going to do, complying would be the best that we would be able to do. I knew that no matter what I was going to try and say to him, nothing at all was going to be changing the fact that this man was our superior, and that he was going to be making that very clear to us in every way possible.

"Do you work with anybody here? Or is this a independent project?" I asked, feeling like this was a valid question, and was wondering if he was going to be listening to me here. If he was actually going to be enough of a man to give me the answer that I had deserved. But then in a way, I was telling myself that I was pushing my luck in my mind by thinking of something like this.

"I do have a crew with me. People who care a lot about what I am standing for. But you do not need to know any further than that. In fact, I believe that if you do learn more than that, then you are going to be acting like you actually have the right to be learning more of what we are doing." After he was saying that to us, I was wondering what the stick that went up his ass was.

"Are you going to be the only one who is going to be questioning me?" I asked, and I was feeling like this was a valid question, and I was certain that even he would be willing to answer this question, since it was not really sort of indicating anything at all. I was thinking that it was a basic question for what it really was here.

"That depends on how well you work with me. If you work with me better, then it will have a greater chance of this being the case. So if you want to make nothing too hard on yourself, I think that maybe you need to just answer on all of my questions right away, and not be resisting me at all." After he had said that to me, I was then wondering what we were even going to do now.

I was then sighing, thinking that since he had made his point, and that he was not going to be fucking around on this, no matter the case, that I needed to just get along with this as much as I could. "Alright, I think that you made your point. I will try to answer as many of these questions as well as I can." I said, and then I was looking at Ness, as if telling him to be doing this. Then he was looking at me as if thinking that I must not be giving him enough credit if he was seriously seeing me think that he could be able to break apart and tell this man some stuff that he would clearly want to be hearing here.

"That is good to hear. I was hoping that you would have it in you to listen to me, and not be messing with this too badly. But I guess that it all depends on how well people are willing to understand that we are just trying our best here." After he had said that to us, I was thinking about what was going to be happening now. I was thinking about the fact that he was wanting to find a way to be getting his point across as well as possible. But in a way, I was feeling like he was doing this in spades, and that in a regard, he was just sort of dragging this out.

But in a way, I did not want to be saying anything that was going to be putting him on edge, and we were parking the car near a large white building. I knew that this was going to be a facility that we were going to be questioned on. I knew that no matter what was going to happen, I was going to be having this done with soon enough. But it was sort of not that big of a deal as we were all getting out of the car, and we were going right to the room where we were getting our questioning done for no real good reason here. But I was just telling myself to co-operate.

Once inside of the white building, we were sitting down in a room where the man who was with us this whole time was looking right at me. "Well, now that we are here, I am going to be getting right to the point of my purpose here. And I know the thoughts that are on your mind about your family. And I think that you deserve to be cleared up on that first."

While it was not on the top of my mind, I was thinking that maybe he was onto something here, so I was just telling myself that I was going to be a valid point to be bringing up, so I told myself that I would just talk with him, and see what he was going to tell me now at this rate.

"I will tell you right now that your parents are going to be talked to about this. You are supposed to pretend like this never happened to them, and same thing that they will do with you. All of you guys are to pretend like this night never happened, and that if you do that, then we can just pretend like this was all one big misunderstanding." After he had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see what I was going to actually say, and Ness was looking like this was a good idea for us.

"Thanks for giving us this. I think that we were all sort of wanting to not be forced to think on this too much longer. I think that we are all wanting to put this behind us as well as possible." After he had said that to the guy who was talking with us, and then he was sighing at this, feeling like he was hoping that this was going to work out, and that we were all going to be holding our end to this bargain.

"Alright, thank you for talking with us on this, and getting this all cleared up. Now that we are done with this, let's just get to this point right now." After he had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was getting way too serious, and that this was the one thing that he was not going to be messing around us, and I was scared out of my fucking mind when I was seeing him treat us like this when we were just kids and stuff.

"We are going to want you to understand that you are not to be getting into this investigation at all. This investigation is meant to be locked in, and you are to be taking this warning very seriously. This is a investigation that is meant to be going much beyond some form of simple adventure with you guys." After he had said that to us, I was feeling like this was probably very obvious. But at the same time, I was feeling like the less of this I was saying, the more that he was going to be thinking that I was finally listening to him, and taking this whole thing in and stuff.

"Alright, what else do you want us to be doing with this right now? Do you have any plans to be getting us out of this or something else?" I asked, and I was trying to make it sound like I did not care too much on this, but he was clearly looking like he was seeing through me. When he was seeing that he had put the look of god in me, he was almost thinking that this was actually worth the controversy after all, to see how younger kids were going to react now.

"Well, I think that if you are going to be serious about what you are saying right now, then I guess that maybe we can be able to work some things out. Maybe we can be able to make some plans out with how you are going to comply with us." After he had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was just glad to see us talking like he was actually starting to look at us as a business perspective, and like we were actually young men of our own.

"We want you to not only never bring this up again, regardless of what the situation was, but we want you to report any strange findings with us right away. Every single time that anything comes up, you must come on and tell us. We will be able to start to bring this together, and that you can be certain that we will be very serious about what you are proposing. And we can be able to work together in order to bring a illusion to peace and prosperity to this town." After he was saying that to me, I saw him looking like what he had been saying was very reasonable.

Despite what I was not wanting to admit, and the fact that I did not want to basically sell myself to this man, I was thinking that maybe he was onto something here. I was seeing Ness looking like he was much more willing to be working with this man, and that he was feeling like this man actually was truly wanting to do something good for us all. I was wishing that he was able to bring some of that feeling to me, but I did not want to be saying anything. I knew that he was not going to want to give the idea that he won. But Ness was sort of beating me to this.

"Well, I think that we will both take this polite offer into hand, and we will start to work whatever we can to make sure that this is information that you can use. I doubt that anybody wants you to feel like you are not breaking through to us, and that we are not listening to you or anything." After he was done saying that to the man, the guy looked at Ness, as if feeling glad that he was starting to already buy one man out, and that he was going to be using that as a chance to be able to use us more in his own way.

"Since it looks like we are coming to a understanding with each other, I think that there is no real point in trying to force you into talking with us too much longer on this. I think that maybe we have all finished out point, and that we can be able to move forward with this as much as possible." After he had said that to us, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to see if I was going to be listening to this promise, or if I was going to find a way to try and fight with him on this.

"What do you want us to be doing now?" I asked, and then the man was looking like maybe this was a valid statement, and that maybe we were going to be able to work with something like this. I was seeing that as long as we were talking with him like this, the more that he was going to be feeling like he had bought us out, and that there was no way in hell that he was going to be losing this fight. I was seeing that he probably thought that the longer we were going into something like this, the better that we were going to behave in the perception of his eyes.

"Well, I think that we should be bringing you home. And when you are home, you are going to be taking the stuff that I have been telling you very seriously. And you are not going to fight us on this no matter how much you are trying to be a hero, or trying to be simple kids, we are not going to let this continue. We are going to be working through this, and we are going to focus on how to make our lives easier from this point forward." After he had said that to me, he was standing up. Then he looked at me, and he was seeing that Ness and I were both wishing to just get this shit over with.

"Thanks for not hurting us." I said, wishing that this was going to make the man happier, and that he would listen to us. I was shaking my head, scared of him. I was scared of this man, and he knew it. Because I was too stupid to actually hide the way that I was feeling, in my fear of what was going to be happening, he actually ended up winning as a result of this, and he knew that full on damn fucking well. We went to the car with that thought in mind.

We were back in the car, and we were forced to go back to my house, and the entire time that I was going back to where I had lived, I was feeling like I just needed the answers to what the hell was going on around me in the first place. I felt like when I was going to get the answer, everything would be all fine and stuff. I just wished that I was going to be able to meet Ness again, and that this encounter was not going to be tainted because of what happened, and that we would be able to hang out.

"Hey, when do you want to go and hang out again?" I asked, and I knew that he was probably not be wanting to do this. But I was feeling like I needed to at least try and give him the offer. I felt like it was the least that I could do, and it was probably going to be the only way that he was going to be fine with me approaching this whole subject.

"Well, if you are still wanting to try this out, then I guess that maybe we can be able to do it in a few days. You know, just to find some way out of it all." After he had said that to me, I was sighing a bit, thinking that maybe the two of us were going to be tainted by this event much more than I was wanting to admit that I would, and I hated the very prospect of such a thing happening.

"Let's just see how well this all works. I mean, I think that just because today started off bad does not mean that we should not be hanging out again. I think that maybe once we actually get in the hang of it, then everything will be alright." I said, just feeling like what I was saying was going to not really suspend his disbelief too much, but I was wanting to try whatever I could to make him feel more open about this.

"It will be alright. I think that my parents are going to be happy to just see that I am trying to talk with somebody else in the first place. I think that this is going to make everything worth it. I mean, I am not really all that worried about what is going on here." After he was saying this to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more, but decided that it was not going to really be worth it in the long run.

"I hope that your parents are not going to be having too much of a problem with hanging out with me and stuff. Given everything that is going on. I just hope that they are able to take the idea of none of this happening with a good amount of seriousness." I said, thinking that what I was saying would not really get to him too much, and that he was going to be telling me that I needed to stop bringing this up for our safety and stuff.

"Remember T.K., when we leave this car, none of this ever happened. This story is meant to never happen. Don't let that down. We need to remember that as much as possible." After he had said that to me, I was nodding, telling myself that this was going to be kind of hard to go through, but I knew that he was just doing this for my safety, going out and telling me not to be doing this type of stuff in the first place.

"I will have to try and remember that. I just hope that my parents take that note seriously, and don't try to question me all this time. If that happens, then at this point, it is not even my fault anymore." I said, and then after I had said that to Ness, I was not too sure if he was going to be buying any of this or not. But he was sort of thinking that what I had been saying was actually a somewhat decent point, as much as he had hated to admit it.

"If your parents try to bring it up, then you need to be very firm on the deal that you had made with these people. They need to remember that you are not to be messing around with this stuff. And then if you do that, then I think that they might be willing to start taking you a bit seriously." After he had said that to me, I was then thinking about the fact that he was telling me all of this stuff in the first place. I was scared that my parents, not me or Ness, were going to be the ones who really messed this whole thing up. And that they were going to ruin everything.

"Yeah, you're right, what I am saying is not the best excuse in the world. But it is hard to really go with all of this stuff, and not be scared over what is going on around me. I feel like when I am presented with all of this stuff, and scared of how life will handle me, I will need to find a way to not be showing my fear so openly, in order to get people to not really think that I am fucking coward or anything like that. But I guess that maybe that is the price I have to pay to live a normal life from this point forward.

"Besides, I fear that the price for telling people the truth is going to be much worse than the fear of uncertainty if I decide to just never tell anybody at all. When I think about it that way, then I think that everything is going to be better. When I really think of what I am actually going to accomplish." I said, and I was fearing that everything that I had been saying was going to be proven moot and that everything these people promised me were not going to matter all that much.

"I'm glad that we can be able to agree on that at least. Shows me that you're not going to be going out there and trying to bite off more than you can handle." After he had told me that, I was thinking that he probably had a sinking suspicion that I was probably a idiot or something like that. I was thinking that maybe in this case, he was right, which was the scariest thing in the world to imagine at that moment.

"Well, I will just see what I can do right now. I feel like no matter what the hell we do, there is going to be something sort of watching us in a strange way. I mean, I don't know how better to describe such a thing right now. But I guess that maybe we are sort of just going to have to see what we are going to do now. I hope that you are going to still hold up to your idea of hanging out soon. I would hope that none of this would sort of throw you off of doing that." After he had said that to me, I had no idea what to be saying, and I was thinking that no matter what we were going to be into, the life we lived was going to fucking suck.

"But Ness, what do you think we are going to do now? I am kind of interested in seeing what is going to be happening now. You know, with life and all that. I have a fear that life is going to be getting a lot more interesting, one way or another, very soon, and that we are going to have to get used to something like this." After I was saying this, the car was parking in front of my place, and I knew that no matter what, we were going to have to hold this debate off for a while longer while I would go home, and just at least try to be finding a good place to be before I would be getting to sleep and stuff. Since everything about this was scaring me more than I wanted to admit.

I was getting out of my car, and I decided that I would say one other thing in order to make him feel like our talk was coming to a close. "Hey Ness, thanks for hanging with me for a while. Thanks for not being really rude to me about this whole thing. But I guess that maybe this does not matter too much." I said, and then I was walking towards the front door, and I was just telling myself that the moment I get inside, things were going to be very different, and that from this moment forward. I am never to bring this up again for the rest of my life.

Once the next couple of days passed, I was sort of thinking that the idea of pretending like nothing ever happened was not going to be all that hard after all. I just needed to keep my head down low, and pretend like nothing was really going on. I really felt like as long as I was just pretending like nothing was going on, then everything would be all fine and stuff. I just wished all of my friends at school were not going to be bringing up the meteor or anything, since if they had done this, then I was going to be tempted to bring it all up again, and then everything was going to be thrown out the damn window. I knew that everything would be fine, as long as nobody was going to bring any of this up with me, and respected my space on the issue.

Things seemed like they were going back to normal when I was seeing Ness walking by, and I was wondering what the hell I was going to be able to even say to him. In a way, I was feeling like I just needed to not say anything to him in order to make sure that nothing was to happen. Since I was worried out of my fucking mind on what was going to be happening now. I was feeling like when I would be talking with him, he was going to tell me that none of this should be allowed, and then probably find a way to bring up the fact that this whole meteor thing happened, despite the agreement that we had been forced into.

But no matter how hard I was going to try, there was something that was forcing me to speak with him. He came up to me, and was wanting to talk for a bit, and I was thinking that there was nothing wrong with him just wanting to talk, and that maybe I just needed to give him a chance before I went on and shoot down the idea of getting to know him and stuff. I felt like he was being nice enough to make it worth a try and stuff.

"Hey T.K., I was wondering how the last couple of days have treated you." After he had said that to me, I shrugged, feeling like if I was going to be saying anything, this whole thing was just going to be much worse for all of us. That was the main reason that I did not want to tell him anything.

"I mean, fine enough. Nothing too crazy is going on. I am just worried about other things. You know, like if something is going to be happening soon." I said, and I was feeling like this was being illusive enough to pretend like nothing was happening, while also being open about the fact that I was just simply worried on all of this at the same time.

"Well, I think that maybe everything is going to be fine. I am just unsure of what to be doing right now. I mean, I feel like I should be talking about what I saw a couple of days ago, but at the same time, I know that doing such a thing could be getting me into trouble and stuff, and in a way, I feel like such a thing is not going to be worth it." After Ness was telling me this, I was looking at him, feeling like I just needed to find something else to say. To try and make him feel better. But at the same time, I did not know if such a thing was going to be possible.

"Hey Ness, if we don't hold to that promise, then we might be getting ourselves killed. I think that this is a good enough reason to not be talking about anything. I mean, I do wish that I could talk about it. But I value my life too much to be doing such a thing." I said, and then after I was done with that, in a way, I was feeling like I was just needing to find something else to say to be making this whole situation was too odd.

"But as much as I was hating to admit it, even back there, I have to admit that I think it might be worth it. I mean, what is really going to be happening anyways? And if people are not going to be talking about it, then I think it will be on the news anyways. So I think that maybe I just have some amount of a right to be seeing what is going on." After he had told me this, I was thinking that he really needed to stop now. But at the same time, I could tell he was clearly not even caring anymore.

"But I think that if we get ourselves killed, then there is going to be a way to be found that will make us look like the bad guys. You know, I just feel like it is not going to be worth it or anything. I feel like when we actually have something to live for, we should be trying to find a way to live that life out." I said, and then I was just feeling like I was being too careful on this. With a way that the roles had gone on and switched.

I don't know. I was scared out of my mind by that person, and I knew that he would ruin everything if he had somehow knew what I was doing. I was thinking that there was going to be nothing that I could do in order to defend myself on this, no matter how much I was wishing to have that happen. But I was thinking that it was just not going to matter at all.

"Well, I think that either way, we should not be speaking about it openly. I think that if we were to talk about it with anybody, or with each other, we should at least be waiting to do so until we are in a closed in space and stuff." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was seeing Ness looking more and more like he knew that I was probably having a good point here, but he did not want to be pushing this aside forever or anything like that.

"I guess that maybe this is true. But at the same time, I feel like I don't have nay better way to express myself for the time being. I think you might be able to understand what I feel right now." After he was telling me this, I was looking down, feeling like maybe there was going to be no real way that I would be getting him to actually believe in what I was saying. I just wished that I was able to talk like a normal person who did not seem like I was on the edge of my sanity in a way.

"Well, maybe we can hang out soon. You were suggesting that we do that anyways. So I think that it might not be such a bad idea after all." After he was saying that to me, I was then sighing, thinking that in a way, I was not going to be getting him to listen to me. I was thinking that we were going to talk about this, no matter if I liked it or not, and I was just thinking about the way that I could be able to do this in a way that was not getting me totally having my life at some form of a risk.

"Alright, I think that if we are going to do this, then I think we might just fucking get right to it. I just hope that nothing is going to happen any time soon. I think that maybe I am too worried about nothing after all. I guess that when I get over my fear soon enough, I think that it will not be all that big of a deal." I said, and then I was just trying to find a way to be feeling like I was not pushing this whole thing too badly. But I just could not have any fucking idea what I was going to be even doing now.

"I am free after school today. I can either go to your house or my house, and we can talk for a while longer." After he said that, I said that I would like to go to his place, and then he nodded, thinking that we finally had something to do that was going to be making him feel very excited, and like we were having a place to stay and fuck around with.

The rest of the school day went by normally, and the entire time that I was seeing Ness coming towards me, I was wondering what the hell he was going to be saying. Maybe I was going to just have to find a way to tell him that there were going to be some standards that I was wishing I could be able to have when we were hanging.

But as I was thinking about that, a part of me was telling myself that I just needed to remember that we were going to his house, so I literally had no say in what I was going to be able to tell him or not. I was just thinking that this was going to be the worst part of what we were doing. The fact that he was allowed to do anything that he had wanted, and that I walked right into that trap with literally no thought, and that this was my entire fault.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were going to be leaving or something. I guess that maybe you decided that you would rather see what things were like here than just go home and pretend like this had never happened and stuff." After he had said that to me, I was then shrugging, thinking that maybe the hanging out aspect was going to make it all worth it in the long run, and that this was not going to be all that big of a deal.

"Well, I was just waiting for you. I was thinking that maybe leaving would have been a good option at first, but I decided that I wanted to at least try and see what it would be like when we hung out in a normal fashion. But I guess that we can just do whatever you are wanting." I was saying, and then he was sighing, just thinking about what else we were going to do if we were not going to be talking a ton about the meteor. At least not until we were at his place.

As we were walking along, I was thinking of what the hell I was even going to be able to tell him. I was thinking that nothing I would say would make him really make him happy about the fact that I was brushing him off. "So Ness, be honest with me, how much did you try to brush off what had happened a few days ago?" I felt like as long as I was vague about this whole subject, and not explicitly saying what exactly it was, then he was going to be able to think that we would be able to actually get away with this conversation a while longer, and that maybe there was going to be no real fear of people coming along and knowing what we were even talking about. I knew that it was a insane idea, but I wanted to at least try.

"Well, I tried to act like it was all fine and stuff. For that first day or so, I was taking it very seriously, not letting even a word of what was going on have a chance of being exposed. Over time, in the next couple of days, I slowly started to feel less and less worried about that type of stuff. I started to feel like maybe if I could brush it all off, then I could be able to act like it was all good. I don't know. I think that maybe if that guys come back, then it can be a bit of a big deal, but I don't really think that it is going to matter too much what people think." After he was telling me this, I was seeing him wondering what I was going to try to say now. Or if I was just going to be keeping this all to myself.

"I guess that maybe you are presented with a bunch of stuff that you are too scared to admit, then you just try to tell yourself anything that can make it all better. But I don't really know how to think about this. I feel like the idea of never talking about it is also just really unrealistic. You know, the idea of not even talking about it with each other? I think in a way, this whole thing was going to be set up for failure. But at the same time, I feel like trying is the only thing that I can do. I will do my best to bring it up to nobody new or anything like that. But I think that the idea of talking with you about this should not be all that big of a deal. Or at least, I would not really think it was." I said, and then shrugged a bit, thinking of what else I could even say at this point.

"Well, I think that everything will be fine. I think that maybe we are just getting this whole thing in our heads, and that we need to look at this from a realistic perspective. And that there is probably nothing to worry about right now. I mean, sure something could happen, but that does not mean that something will be guaranteed to happen. But I guess that people might just be too worried about something that we can't even change." After he had said that, he was wondering if I would have a response to this.

"I guess that maybe everything will be fine if I just tell myself that it will. I mean, what is really going to be so awful about having some form of suspension of disbelief? Even if it turns out to be bad, I would not think it would be too awful for the time being." After I had said that, I was almost feeling like this must have been the truth now.

"See, you are starting to realize that you need to relax. Can't believe that I was so scared about this whole thing earlier. I feel like maybe I was just sort of channeling my parents in a way. Something I never thought was going to be possible. But what does it matter right now? I am just sort of wondering what your plans are now with this. If you plan to try and find something that can give you some chance to know what we are getting ourselves into." After he had told me this, I was just thinking about what we were going to do, and why the hell I was so worried about a stupid man who was acting like he had power over us.

But as I was saying that, I knew that it was a big deal. But I guess that maybe I was just telling myself all of this to sort of get my hopes up, and act like I was a bigger man than I really was. Acting like I had something that I needed to prove. When in all honesty, there was nothing that I needed to prove. I just was taking this too seriously, and that I needed to just be glad that I had my own time to fuck around, and pretend like I was a hero or something.

"Do you think that anybody else really knows what is going on here? Or do you think that they might not even care all that much. I think that this is a very real idea. That people are not going to give a crap what is going on. People will probably just think that it was a simple meteor, and that we are probably just blowing this whole thing out of proportion." As he had said that, I was then thinking about what the heck I was sort of getting myself into in the first place. And if any of this was going to truly seem all worth it at the end of the road. But then again, I was wondering if I was just being too scared over something that was not even going to have a high chance of happening or anything like that.

We were near where his house was, and then he looked at me, as if wondering what I had felt at that moment. He was clearly wanting to see if I was going to be blown away or anything. I was thinking that it was kind of strange that he had a house so big, when he was just a kid with his parents, and did not even need something like this. But at the same time, I was feeling like maybe this was just a low key sign of how rich his family was, and then I sighed at the fact that he was not able to be on the same level of living that I had been.

As we were about to go right inside of his house, there was a loud noise that was making us stop what we were doing. I was thinking whatever caused that noise was going to be the last thing that we wanted to deal with. But then I was looking right at Ness, wondering what the hell he was going to be saying to me. He was looking like he had wanted to say something, but that even he could not be able to explain what was going on here.

"Alright, I have to admit that I have no idea what the heck that was right now." After he had said that to me, I was then sighing, feeling like maybe I was going to have to find a way to get Ness to calm down, since I could clearly tell that he was not super excited for whatever was going to be coming up. Almost as if he was already having perpetual regret over what we were doing now. When there was a noise that was too much for him.

"Well, if we are not going to have any idea on what the hell to do, then I think that maybe we should just go inside of your house, and just not be making a big deal out of this at all." After I was saying this, I was just then thinking that maybe I had been seeing something come towards us. As I was seeing that for a quick second, I was seeing that even Ness had given me the look that he had seen what I had been looking at as well.

"Alright, maybe we should be doing just this. But I never thought that we were going to see something that looked almost like a monster." Ness was telling me, trying to find a better way that he was going to be able to explain it, but I could tell that no matter how much he had wanted to, there was no better way in hell that he was going to explain what was going on in his mind.

Then I nodded, and then I started to explain what I was thinking that I had seen. "So I thought that I saw a thing that looked like a walking dog or wolf. Like was just walking on the lower legs, and not the upper ones." I said, and I was unsure of what else I was going to be able to say to it besides that. I was sort of looking right at Ness, and I was genuinely interested in hearing what he had thought on the matter. If he had any idea on what he had saw, since there was virtually no better way to be placing it all.

"I think that maybe I was seeing something sort of like that. You know, the thing looked like a really skinny brown husk or something like that." After they had said that to me, I was then nodding, glad at the fact that this was something that we were able to put our eyes on, and that maybe we were going to just plan something out to make us kind of have a chance to pretend that we had not really seen anything too strange here.

"Well, I think that if I were to ever fight something like that, then I think I would be really messed up. I think that I would have virtually no chance of being able to survive." I laughed, and I was thinking that as long as I was pretending like this was funny, then I could be able to lighten up everything, and pretend like this was not all that scary of a idea.

"Well, I am glad that I am not stupid enough to think that going into something like that would be a good idea. So I guess that there is that detail sort of saving me right now." After he was saying that to me, I was sort of wanting to say something that would make me seem like I was in the same boat as him, but that this was probably just not going to really work out at all.

"I think that maybe there is a chance that we are not going to have a choice. Like you know, some monster starting to attack us and stuff." I said, looking at Ness, and I was seeing him looking like he was just wanting to say something else that can be able to bring us to some level of sanity. But in a way, I was thinking that as I was looking at him, even he knew that something like this was probably not going to go the way that he was wishing for it to. But at the same time, I had been wanting to tell myself to calm down, to act like this was not really a huge deal.

"I don't even want to pretend like we are going to be forced to deal with something like this at all. I mean, if we are forced to handle this, then there is going to be no way that we can handle any of this." After he was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he had wanted to say more. But at the same time, I was thinking that maybe the more that I was talking to him about something like this, and trying to expand his mind, the more that we could be realistic on how such a thing was just going to be too much to really fucking handle.

"I would never want to deal with something like that. But I am having a fear that we are not going to be able to have a choice here. I think that all we can do is just focus on what we are going to do to survive this if it were to be getting worse and stuff." I was saying, and then there was another loud noise, and I was thinking that maybe we were going to have to deal with this much sooner than we ever fucking wished it to.

"Listen, I think that maybe we are going to need to do something right now. You know, in order to make this not get any worse. I have a bad feeling that this is going to get much worse." I said, and then after I was telling him all of this, the look on Ness's face was making him looking like he was just totally scared out of his fucking mind. But at the same time, I was just thinking that maybe I needed to keep myself seeming like there was a level of non-biased judging.

"T.K., what the hell are we going to be doing now? I think that hiding is going to be really hard for us to do, considering the fact that can kill us at any moment." I was seeing him say, and I did not want to have him bring that up, but I was just trying to be realistic on what the hell we were even doing in my mind. So we went inside of the house, to act like we are fine, and that nothing was fucking happening at all.

"Let's just be realistic about what we are going to be doing. I think that we just need to find a way out of this, and we will be fine." I said, and then I felt like I was just being silly with what I had said, but at the same time, I was just trying to find a way to console myself as well as Ness. I was feeling like if I just pretended like everything was fine, then maybe everything would be good, and then I could just pretend like nothing was going on around me after all.

"Maybe there is something inside of the house that we can use. I hope that my parents can be able to help me there." After he was done telling me this, I was nodding, feeling like this was not a terrible idea after all. We were getting inside of the house, and I was just thinking about the way we were going to need to be realistic about the way that we were planning this out. We needed to actually plan all of this out, to make sure that we were not going to be getting ourselves killed, and that maybe we could show that man that we knew what we were doing after all.

"I hope that you are right. Because if you are not, then I think that we are going to not need to debate what we are going to do, and I would just be hoping that your parents would have the funds to provide for a nice funeral more than anything else." I said, and I was wondering if I was going to be getting Ness to say anything to that, or if he was going to just tell me off.

"Well, I think that your parents are going to have to take care of yours for you." After Ness said that, I was rolling my eyes, knowing that what he was saying was true, but I was just feeling like I wanted to at least try and get some form of a light hearted mood in the battle that we were going to be in, and I was hoping that Ness was going to be fine with such a thing after all. Considering the fact that we were at his house as we were going to be facing death.

"Fine, whatever you say. Way to ruin the mood that I was at least trying to set up." I said, and then I was seeing him looking at me as if wondering how well I realized that this was fucking terrible timing to be having this debate. I was just sighing, not even thinking about it anymore, and I was looking at the kitchen knives that were in the area. I knew that no matter what was going to happen, my chances of survival were going to be best if I had something like this with me, and I was running right towards them, and then Ness was sighing, as he was following right suit.

I was seeing Ness just looking like no matter what we were going to be doing, he was just thinking that we were not going to be ready for this fight. Ness was telling himself to at least pretend like he was cool with what was going on. But then he was taking a long and deep breath as he was grabbing one of the knives. If any adult was seeing us doing this, they probably would have had a heart attack. I just am glad that at that moment, nobody was around to be watching us be totally fucking insane in every single way imaginable. But then I was thinking that surely everybody would understand if they knew what we were really doing, and why we were just trying to make sure that we had any chance of living.

"Ness, what the fucking hell are we going to do if that monster is too powerful for us?" I asked, on the very likely chance that this was going to prove to be true. Ness was looking like he had no real response. Almost like he was just wishing at the back of his mind that this was not going to have to be tested. To put it extremely bluntly, I hated every single second of this. And I was starting to hate the fact that I ever brought up the subject around him, and hated the fact that I was actually having to fight for my fucking life right now. To put it simply, even more than I had been, I hated my fucking life.

"I think that it is going to be coming in right now. We need to be on alert here." After Ness said that to me, I was nodding, feeling like I was going to need to at least try and put myself in a presentable rate. "Are you sure that you are going to be fine with doing all of this?" He asked at me, and then I was sighing in annoyance, wanting him to shut the hell up about this, and let me fucking fight for the sake of trying to save my fucking life here. I was telling myself that the longer that I was thinking it through, the better that things were going to be in the long run.

Then before anything else could even remotely be discussed, there was a cracking at the door, and I knew for a fact that no matter what we were wishing on the matter, or whatever we wanted to say to drag out a shitty conversation, the fight was going to be happening now. I was starting to accept that fact a bit more, thinking that I was just going to have to see what I was even doing.

As the monster was starting to get inside of the house, I was looking at Ness as I was slowly running towards the thing, and then stabbed my knife right through the monsters hand, and then there was a small noise that lasted for a few seconds, and then when that was done, I was seeing that Ness knew that this was going to be his time to have a turn as well. And I was seeing that in his own way, he was more than willing to oblige.

As Ness was seeing the seconds hand coming in after the first hand pulled out, and slowly starting to break the door more and more, Ness was just scared for a fucking second, and then after that, saw that the door was pretty much just a open hole, and one of the legs of the monster was coming on through to get inside. Then Ness stabbed the leg a bit, and then we were both realizing that this was literally the only way that we had a chance. Was to just hurt this thing as much as possible, and just make sure that we at least had a head start when this thing was fully inside. And even then, it was still going to have a much better chance of killing me.

I stabbed the arm of the stabbed hand, to make sure that this part of the body at least had as little of a damn chance of fighting as it was going to. I was then thinking that maybe when the monster was going to be inside, at least one of the two arms could not be used, but I was seeing it break down the door a bunch, and then there was just a large open space, where I was thinking that the only thing that mattered was just giving us even a couple of seconds more.

The monster looked right at Ness, and they were starting to run at the kid, and then as they were running towards Ness, I was seeing that he was utterly scared out of his fucking mind at what he was seeing. Then he started to try and dig the knife into the chest of this monster a bit, which stunned it for a good second, but then the monster pushed Ness back, and then he started to skid across the ground a bit, and he hit his head against the wall as hard as he could possibly have.

As Ness stood up again, and saw that the knife was still at the chest, I was stabbing the leg that was closest to me, and then I dragged up the blade for a second or two, and then I pulled it out. Then monster scratched my shirt a bit, and then I was tempted to scream at the small gash that it had started to make on my chest as well. Then I pulled the knife that Ness had used out, and then I gave a good stab or two on the monster as well.

Ness was then running at the back of the monster, and then started to hug it as well as he could, and then was starting to run back a bit, and then after he could handle it for a second or two longer, he threw the monster right down at the ground, and then I was grabbing the knife, and then I handed it to Ness, who then stabbed the monster right in the back a bit, and I was seeing that the monster was starting to have a bit more than it can handle. I was feeling like this was actually giving me a chance to survive, and that was all that I had really fucking wanted here.

The monster was looking at us, and then as they were getting ready to attack, since they were on the ground, this time Ness actually had the advantage, and then he stabbed the knife at the side of the head of the monster, and then after that, the monster was destroyed, and then started to turn a bit limp, and then I was looking right at Ness, thinking that it was a miracle and a half that we had even survived thing. "I am honestly shocked that we had survived that. I could not believe that we were even having a chance. But I guess that maybe we just need to find a way to get this thing out of here. Before your parents come on and see what it is." After I had said this to Ness, I was wondering what he was even going to find away to move on from this. But at the same time, I was just thinking that he was probably wanting to have some way to keep himself alive.

I was looking at Ness, trying really hard to come up with the words that were just really stuck at the back of my mind. I felt like when I had been stuck with this information, I was going to have to accept the fact that monsters were real now. I hated that idea, but there was nothing that I could fucking do about it. I was just wanting to figure something out, that could make me feel like I was able to say something proper now.

"Hey, what are we going to do now? I mean, we need to find a way to move this thing out of here. You know, to make sure that your parents are not going to scream at you for destroying the house and stuff." I was wanting to make it sound like I was trying to help out here, but at the same time, I knew that what I was saying was just not going to be helping at all. But I guess that what I was telling him would be making no real difference in the long run.

"I think that if we keep this here, then my parents will see this, and they might be forced to take what I say seriously. I would actually say that this could be helping us out in the long run." Ness was saying, and I was looking at him, as if wondering what was going on with his mind. I was thinking that maybe he needed to actually carefully think what he was telling us out here.

"I think that if they think you are responsible for this, then they will be angry at you, and then that will overthrow everything that is going on here." I said, and then after I was saying this to Ness, he was shaking his head, as if feeling like he needed to find something here to make himself feel better about what he was doing. I was wanting to help Ness, but I was wanting him to be realistic on this whole issue here.

"I don't care. I feel like I need to take the risk at least. That is what I need to do. I think that if they listen to me, then I could be able to find a really important ally that can help us out. I just want to tell myself that there is something of value happening out of all of this." After he had told me that, I was just shrugging, thinking of what the heck I was even going to be telling him now. But I was just trying to tell myself that maybe he knew his parents more than I did.

"Fine, if you say so, and you really believe that something like this is happen, then I guess that I will be leaving this whole thing alone for the time being. I just wish that this whole thing had never fucking happened in the first place." I said, and then I was thinking that our time to debate this was coming right to a close when there was a car that was coming right up, and I was assuming it was his parents.

Once inside of the house, the parents were looking at us, horrified, and then they were seeing the monster that we had just fought, and were starting to think that maybe they should just be glad that we were even alive in the first place. I did not think that what I was doing would be able to get them to calm down, but they might be able to calm down with Ness, and see that maybe with him, that we were not lying, and that they were willing to help us out on our way through all of this.

I was thinking that I just needed to try and find a way to make Ness get out of this. "That thing attacked us, and we had no choice but to fight back and that is what destroyed it. We are sorry for the mess that it created among the house." After he had said that, he was looking right at his parents, and he was really hoping that they were going to actually be listening to him, and that they were not going to accuse him of lying or anything awful like that.

"Why were they even going after you in the first place? Is there something that you are not telling us?" His mother asked, and then Ness looked down, and he was wondering if this was them pretending the part due to the fact that they were supposed to not talk about this, or if they were actually meaning what they were saying here. In a way, Ness was not wanting to very much know what the answer was going to be. But then he was telling himself that maybe this did have nothing to do with the meteor, and that this was all one big mis assumption that we had been making here.

"I have no idea what exactly led to this happening. I am just glad that it is over though." He decided to answer honestly, thinking that doing this was going to be enough to get his parents to get off of his back on this matter. But at the same time, he was wondering if his parents even wanted to actually listen to him after all. Or if they were going to act like what was going on was a terrible mistake.

"I just saw him at school earlier today, and he was telling me that he wanted to hang, and we went inside the house before we were getting attacked. I have no idea what was happening either. I think that there is a good chance that we were just really unlucky, and that there is no real rhyme or reason to what we are dealing with. I hope that we don't run into anything else." I said, and then after I was saying that to his parents, they were looking at me, as if wondering what I was even coming from, and if I was really insane for trying to convince them to calm down after what happened.

"Alright, we'll believe you for now. But if this is the case, then what is going on right now? What are you guys going to be able to do to get through this? I think that first we need to repair our house door, to make sure that people suddenly think that it is going to be alright for them to go on and break into this place." After my father had said that, he was clearly looking like he was trying to hold back his anger, while also just being glad that his kid was even alive in the first place. Thinking that maybe he was just going to have to be taking this one step at a time here.

"What are you going to want us to do now?" Ness asked, feeling like this was more important than anything else, and he was just wishing that maybe Ness was going to be able to find a way to get me out of this shit. But at the same time, I was just wanting to find a way to make Ness see that maybe I shoudl not be here anymore. Considering the fact that I literally almost put our lives at stake, and I did virtually nothing to be helping us out. I was feeling like they could have been much better if he was not involved with me anymore. I did not want to be saying it openly, but I could not be able to lie with the facts that were in general being presented with me here.

"We need you guys to stay behaved, and don't do anything too dangerous. I think that we are going to have to find what is going on here on our own." After they had said that to Ness and I, that was when I was looking right at Ness, wondering what I was going to be able to say now. I was feeling like maybe Ness was just going to be telling me that this whole thing was just crazy.

"Alright, we won't be getting ourselves into any trouble for now. We will probably just try to find something to do that is not too dangerous for now." After he had said that to his parents, that was when Ness was just looking like he was over the top scared. Almost like he could not be able to believe that any of this was actually going on in the first place. In a way, Ness just wished that maybe he was going to be able to have his parents sort of give him advice on what to be doing now.

"Just don't do anything too stupid. We will try to get this place fixed while you two do whatever. Although I would like to know more about the guy hanging out with you soon." After they had said that to Ness, he was laughing, as if feeling like this was going to be a good agreement that they would have made here.

We went up to his room, and we were clearly just trying to find something to talk about. I had no idea what I was going to even say to him, considering how he was dangerously close to getting in trouble with his parents, and I knew that this was entirely my fault. I hated that, and I was wanting to find a way for him to be getting along better with this whole thing.

"What are you feeling right now? I know that this might be a bit much to handle right now." I said, and then I was just trying my best to be looking like I was able to be seeing where he was coming from, since I was feeling terrible for him, and I had wished that I would be able to go on and make him feel better over everything that had been happening. "I think that there is a lot of stuff that we need to figure out about what we had just seen. If that is connected to the meteor."

"I am feeling fucking confused, and so lost right now. I thought that the meteor was something, but the monster is something else. A part of me is telling me that I don't want to do this, but at the same time, I know for a fact that if I do not pursue what is going on here, and learn what I am supposed to do, then I am going to be getting my life at risk, and that shit is not worth it." After Ness was telling me that, I was seeing him looking at me, almost looking like this was just the push that he needed to realize how scary this whole thing truly was.

"I guess that I can be able to see what you are meaning. But we have a chance to survive, if we are actually smart and plan this shit out. If we take this seriously, and we do not just brush it off, then I think that the questions we are having will be able to come along and give us the answers we need." I said, and then after I was done with that, he looked at me, and he was clearly looking totally fucking lost on this whole thing. Like he had wanted to just survive, as selfish as he may had have felt in his mind to feel that way over it all.

"I just wish that I had a answer to all of this. I mean, I almost got myself killed. I wonder if this truly has something to do with the crash, and maybe this is why nobody wants to talk about it. Since if we revealed anything, then there is a good chance that we could be getting people killed. Or that they can hide these attacks that are going on." After Ness was saying this, I was thinking that there was a small chance that this all could be true. But at the same time, I was just unsure of what I was going to say now.

"I think that we both want a answer to this. I mean, there is nothing else that I could be wishing for right now. This whole thing is just one of the scariest things that I have ever heard of. I mean, sure I might have heard of scarier things, but this is easily the scariest thing that I ever had to deal with." After he had said that to me, I was nodding, feeling like I was able to get it, and why he was feeling this way so often.

"Well, I guess that there is nothing that we can do now besides just try and survive as long as we can here. I know that what I am suggesting does not sound super stellar or anything. But it is all that I can come up with." After I had said that to him, I was seeing Ness looking like he was wanting to say more, but I was seeing that more than anything else, he was just pondering the life that we were going to start living soon.

"But do you think that we are actually going to get anything together to find the answers to all of this? I mean, it just all seems a bit much to handle, and I am kind of scared over what we are doing right now." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was wondering what we were even going to do now. I was sort of thinking about the fact that we were getting ourselves in a ton of danger over what was to be honest, not all that good of a quest.

"I just think that we have to try at least. If we don't try, then I have a feeling that we are going to be getting ourselves killed, and I don't want to go down without a fight. Granted I don't want to go down at all, but I want to at least put up a fight first." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was wanting me to challenge him more on all of this, or if he was going to be letting me sort of concede to this all.

"I know that what you are saying is true. I guess that I am just scared is all. I mean, I am scared of what we are going to be getting ourselves into. But I guess that being scared is not going to be winning anybody any points at all." I said, and then after I had said that to Ness, I was sort of just trying to calm down on what we were doing, and the fact that we were going to be genuinely worried about our deaths coming up. Or possible deaths that is.

"But if we waste our time for debate, then we are not going to be getting anything done at all. We need to actually think about what we are doing before we set ourselves into it all. But T.K., what are we going to do to get people to listen to us. To get people to actually listen to what our concerns are? I mean, if we do not come up with any real answer, I think that we are going to just be alone here. I mean, after what my parents saw, they might be willing to believe us, but that does not mean that anybody else in the world is going to have to. If anything, they might be even less inclined to try to believe in us." After he was done with this, I was seeing him looking like he wanted to say more, but that he had gotten his point across enough, and did not need to worry anymore about this here.

"It is not going to work. Let's just give up and be realistic on this. I think that we are going to have to be honest about what is going on here. I think that if we do not just tell the truth over how insane of a position we are stuck in, then I think that we might actually start to lie to ourselves and say that we have a chance." I said, and I knew what I was saying was going to suck, but I was feeling like I had to be honest, and that when we were presented with how much this whole thing sucked, I could not even pretend that we were in a winning spot right now. Since we were really not even close to being in one.

"Even if we do not try to get other people into this, then I think that we need to find a way to survive this on our own. I think that this is still the very least that we can do, given the situation that we are in. But I guess that maybe I can sort of see how tough this whole thing can really be. But there is just so much stuff going on in my mind that I feel like we should at least try and figure out how we are going to get through with this whole thing." After Ness was telling me that, I saw him looking like he was wanting to say more about it, but that this was just going to be a lost cause, and that he was never going to be getting me to be seeing where he was coming from. But in a way, he was sort of wondering himself if what he was saying was even valid in the first place. But then I was thinking about something else that we could be doing now.

We were then thinking about what to do now, and then I was thinking about some ideas that I could be having to sort of make this whole thing work out out the best for us all. "I think that maybe if we look around for a while, we could be able to find some things that can be able to help us out in the long run. I think that it could be worth a try at least." I said, and then after I had suggested this to Ness, I was seeing him thinking that he would rather do that than just sit around and do nothing at all.

"Where do you think that we should start?" Ness asked, and I felt like this was a valid enough question, but at the same time, I felt like I was not going to be able to have the answer that he had wanted. And that was the part that was just making it all worse for me just thinking about it all.

"Well, I know that you are not super into this idea, but I think that going back to the meteor could be able to help us out more than we think it will. I mean, it would really not hurt to go and check it out, would it?" I asked, and then after I asked him this question, and suggested this idea to him, I was seeing him looking like he had thought about it a good deal before deciding that it was better than nothing, and that we should at least go and try it all out.

"I would rather just try that out than do nothing at all, so as long as it is nothing too much more than that, then I am in." After he was telling me this, I smiled at that, feeling like maybe we were going to be getting something to work out here after all. So with that, I was just standing up again, feeling like I could make it all work out much more than I thought.

"So now that we know what we should be doing, then let's just see how we can get this whole thing to work." I said, as we were out of the room, starting to head on towards the meteor, and I was feeling like I was needing to come up with some plans, to sort of make up for the fact that we were getting into a fucking war zone very soon, and that there was nothing that we could be able to do about it all.

"Well, I think that we are going to have that guy back there again, and he will probably be trying to find a way to make it so that we do not go out there, and that we do not try to pull anything on him while he is at that area. And even if we do not find him, then we will probably find some of his workers there, which will be most of the same thing." I said, and then I was seeing Ness thinking that this was a bit of a valid point, as much as he was hating this whole idea of looking around.

"I doubt that he will really be caring too much if we are there. I think he will be too busy on his job to really probably care if we are around and stuff. I am more worried about if some of his workers are going to be there. You know, people who would be able to expose us very easily for breaking in and stuff. In a way, I think that maybe that guy we saw earlier might want us to show up, and then he could be able to use that for his own strange benefit." After Ness said that, I was shrugging, feeling like I could not full on see it, but I would not doubt if this was true.

"I think that he will be mad at first, but that you could be right about your theory by and large. I would not be fully willing to write it all off or anything." After I had said that to him, I was just thinking about the situation that we were in. I was feeling like this whole thing was just a lot to handle. Almost too much to really properly be able to think on.

"Well, if he is going to try and use us, then I think that we will have a right to fight back. We will have a right to show him that we are not going to be pawns of his game." Ness said, and despite how gusto he sounded by saying that, in a way, I was feeling like this was not going to be our choice. That he was going to find a way to make it this way, and that we were going to just have to find a way through this, and a way to be able to get ourselves to a mild form of safety if it were to be coming along like this after all. But I had no real idea how any of this was to be coming.

"I think that he might not be such a bad guy. Maybe he does actually have some good intentions, and he is just trying to make sure that nobody gets hurt around him." Ness said, and I was glancing at him, as if wondering if he seriously believed in any of that, or if he was just saying that to me in order to make us feel like there was a small chance of being able to feel like we were not totally messed up with this.

"I have heard many things that I had a hard time being able to fully believe, but that is something that I am having a hard time being able to believe any of. But I guess that if this is something that you think could be real, then I guess that I will have to give you a chance to show that this is true." I said, and then Ness was pointing towards something in the distance, and I was wondering what the heck he was wanting to show me.

"I know, I am just trying to find a way to make it seem like he is one of the good guys. I want to believe that we do not have the entire town against us." Ness was saying, to respond to what I had said earlier, as I was looking at the giant white tent that was several feet away, and I was wondering what we were going to do to break in. I was seeing the cars parked, and it was clear that this was clearly a research site just within the last several minutes already. I could not believe what I was seeing, since in all honesty, this whole thing was just looking to be totally unreal in every way.

"But I think that it is best to just find out how the hell we are going to be going in there. I think that if we fail to get inside, then there will be no point in debating this anymore." I said, and then after I was saying this to the man, I was just seeing that Ness was clearly wanting to go in there as well. It was like the one damn thing that we could agree on that moment. Seeing what we were going to do once we were actually in there.

"Well, I think that we should just see what we can do to get inside of here. I have no idea how we are going to be able to pull it off though. And that is the only thing about what we are doing that is going to be hard for me to really understand." I said, and then after I was saying this to Ness, I was wondering if he was going to be on my side here. If we were going to have to find a way to fight, or if we were simply going to be lucky and do the whole thing the way that it should be done. And that was by doing it easily, and without any real controversy.

"I think that maybe there must be a way that is not as closely guarded as the others. I think that this is going to be the best that we can use. I just hope that we are not going to be getting ourselves into any more danger here. Even though I know the chances of avoiding more danger is literally zero." Ness said, clearly showing that he was just scared, and clinging onto any form of last hope that was in his mind. Even if he knew that this hope was going to be getting him nowhere, he was wanting to at least try and see how he could make it sound in his mind.

"I think that we just got to see what is even here, that we have to work at our disposal." I said, and then I was seeing some guys wearing white and some form of a gas mask speaking with each other, sounding like they were just talking about some important intel or something like this. I had wanted to see what they were talking about, but that fear of getting caught was just the one thing that was always going to be in our minds.

"But T.K., what do you think they are even trying to cover up here in the first place? I think that this is the most important piece of the puzzle, and if we do not figure that out, then virtually nothing else is going to matter." After he was saying that, a part of me was wishing that he would not be speaking in this mindset, but at the same time, a part of me was feeling like I could not really blame him for sounding as hopeless and desperate as he had been here.

"I think that maybe that meteor really did have something to do with that monster attack. It is the best theory that I have right now. And that maybe there are more monsters in the area that we need to be watching out for. As much as I would hate to even think that something like this could happen." I said, and then after I had said that to him, I was thinking about what the hell I was going to be able to do here. To be able to do to get Ness to see that maybe we were not in such a bad light after all.

"I think that the more we look into this, the more that I am getting scared that we really got ourselves into something that we should not have even come close to tracking out." After Ness said that to me, I was nodding, thinking it would be hard to argue with him on that idea right there.

"Well, I think that if for nothing else, we should at least just go along and see what they are talking about." I suggested, and then after I had said that, thinking it was harmless enough, I was seeing Ness looking like he was slowly finding himself getting along with this idea, once he had a moment or two to really think it all out. Then with that, we were walking along, and we were slowly getting behind a tree, to see what this man was going to want to be saying, and if we could be able to get any information out of him by doing this.

Once we were behind the trees, that was when we were heading the person talking for a while longer. "We are trying to extract all of the sermon form the meteor. We can confirm that what we were fearing about it earlier is starting to come true. There are some things that are coming out of this, and we virtually have nothing in order to fight it off. We think that we might be forced to try other methods." The voice of a man who was wearing glasses was saying, and now I was just scared of what he was talking about, since I was fearing he was talking about like gassing and stuff.

I mean, I know that this assumption is a bit silly, and that I am probably thinking too deeply into this whole thing, but at the same time, I could not help but feel like there must have been something going on here. I was just sighing, and then thinking that I would listen to him a bit longer. There was another voice that started to talk with him, and I was forced to listen to that instead.

"We have some people who are snooping around, and trying to know what is going on here. I think that you need to be very careful on how you go about this operation. There are a lot of people who are needing you to work this out, and all of the standing around and uncertainty is not going to be getting us anymore." After the man was saying that, the other guy was about to start but was cut off once again.

"I know that you may be thinking that I am asking for a lot out of you. But I am asking that we are simply able to work out a way to not get people involved. If that means tougher security, or you guys figuring out this information faster, you will have to do whatever it takes. There is no other way to go around this. This has to be done, one way or another, and I can't falter on this." The man finished, and was taking out a cigarette, and then the other guy used this as a chance to finally have a turn and speak as well, to sort of try and get his voice heard after all the bombing of information brought onto him.

"What are we even going to be getting out of this information, if you do not mind me asking. I feel like this is something that I deserve the right to know, considering the fact that you are bringing your entire staff to try and figure this out. If we do not know what you are trying to get out of this, then we will never be able to understand how important it is." After he was telling this man that bit of information, he was hoping that his boss would be able to see the logic behind that, and just try and enlighten his mind on this whole matter at least a little bit.

"There are some seriously wealthy investors who are wanting to know as much information as possible about this meteor. This is something that can be able to grant us a great amount of knowledge of the world that is around us. Dare I will say it to you, but we feel like this meteor will be the key to understanding the idea of inter dimensional travel." After the man was telling his comrade that, the comrade was looking like something like this was just a bit hard to understand.

"Well, I think that I would like to go on and meet these people some day. if they are going to be putting a lot of profit into this whole situation. And I really want to know what they mean by the inter dimension stuff." The other guy was saying, and he was just trying to wrap his mind around the fact that there were people who unironically thought that such a thing really had a chance of being real. The whole thing just seemed off to him in some way.

"Well, you might be able to do just that. But you need to deliver the the information I want more than anything else. I think that if you can give me that information, I will be using that as a good reward for you. Something that can give you a standing to meet these people. I might even give a word of recommendation for you. But you can't let this go. You need to find a way to make this work out, or that entire idea is off." The man said, and then the other guy was thinking about what his boss had just told him, and the fact that this was going to be a motivation in some way of his.

"Alright, you have made your case. I will see what I can do to help this out as much as possible. I will try to relay this information to them, and make then work harder as a result." After he had said that to his boss, that was when his boss was placing his hand on the comrades shoulder. Both in a soothing way, while also doing it in a way to get his point across in this moment. Which was almost scary for him, how well this was working.

"I hope that you do, for your own sake. I knew that I was right in choosing you to go along with this job. I knew that you were going to find a way to pull through with this after all." After he had said that to his comrade, there was both a look of fear and determination on the comrades face, something to show that he was willing to go through any lengths to not fuck this up in any way, to get himself to safety, and to earn the mans trust in some way or another.

As the man who was clearly running this operation was heading off, I was looking right at Ness, wanting to find something to say to make us feel better, and make us feel like we were not walking into a trap or something like that. "Alright, so we are dealing with people who could literally be working for the government or something like that. I think that we are really getting ourselves involved in some shit man." I said, and then I was now starting to actually be scared, and I was wondering if Ness was now going to start to break through, and realize what we were now putting ourselves in by doing this in the first place.

"Alright, well I think that maybe we should at least try and be a bit more careful on this. But I think that we are close enough to still make it worth checking out a bit." After he had told me this, I was then sighing, thinking that perhaps Ness was right, and that it would be best to just get to know what was going on here, and then we would be able to use as much of this as humanly possible. That we would be able to try and get a start if for nothing else.

"Well, if you think it is still worth it, then let's just fucking try and make this work out. I mean, I do not know if it is going to be worth it, but I think we got to try at least. I see that there is a opening spot at the back of the tent over there." I said, and I was pointing towards the open hole, looking right at Ness, wondering if he was thinking that maybe we should be going in that way. I mean, it was the best opening we had, and it was a start at least. There was no way that I would turn it down if I was him.

"Yeah, maybe we can go in there. I just hope that whatever that is, we are not getting ourselves in trouble or anything like that." After Ness was saying this to me, I was nodding in agreement, and I knew that one way or another, we were going to be getting ourselves into something rather interesting. And that this was something we needed to just be careful of one way or another.

As Ness and I were walking towards that place, I was letting the fear of god be coming to be a bit more and more, scared of the fact that I was probably going to be getting myself killed by doing this. And the fact that no matter what was happening, my chances of getting Ness hurt were also up there. Since I felt like with bringing him along, he was still more likely than ever to be getting himself in danger, and in a way, I was never going to be able to forgive myself on that. I hated myself for letting him see me near this fucking meteor.

When we were getting close to getting inside of the tent, we looked around for a bit, to just make sure that nobody was seeing what we were doing. I knew that us getting caught was going to be the way that we were going to get ourselves killed, and that was what I needed to avoid. When I was certain that we were not seen so far at least, that was when we walked in, and I was feeling like we were one step closer to figuring out what we were needing to do before we really got super deep into this whole entire thing. But I was wondering if Ness was going to see something that I had missed, for us to be able to take out with us.

"Hey, I think that we need to be careful, that way nothing comes along and tries to fuck with us." I said, as Ness was clearly looking through something on a table, and I was feeling like with every single second that we were in here, we were going to be increasing our risk of getting caught. I could swear on my life that I was hearing some noises in the area just outside the tent, and that was scaring he shit out of me, for a lack of a better way to describe it.

"I know that we need to be careful, but it would be for nothing if we did not come out of here with something. I think that we just need to get something, and then we will be fine." He was saying, trying to keep himself as quiet as possible. I was thinking that maybe he was being the logical one when looking at all of this shit.

"Alright, I get it. I just fear for our safety when we are here for so long, getting nothing done. I think that you probably understand where I am coming from. I think that if we spend too much longer here, then nothing will even matter anymore." I was saying, and then Ness was looking like he was sort of finding something. Like he was thinking that this was going to be exactly what we had needed. When he was looking at me, in a way of victory, I knew that he was believing in the fact that he had finally gone one step closer to figuring this whole thing out.

When he was showing me what he had found, I was sighing in annoyance. "Really, just a bunch of fucking documents? I think we should have tried to find something better with this here." I said, trying to find a way to get him to listen to me here. But at the same time, I saw him just looking like he was not even caring anymore. Almost as if he was thinking that if we wasted our time on this, we were not going to be looking at this on face value.

"I know that it does not look that impressive, but trust me when I say that I feel like we are going to be having something to work with here. Just go with me on this." After he had said that to me, I was seeing him looking like he was dead serious about this claim. Like if I did not take his word on it, then everything was all going to be for nothing. I hated what he was doing here, and the fact that he was forcing me to this in the first place.

"Alright, I think that maybe we should just try and properly think about what we are doing though. We should be reading this at one of our places. Probably mine, considering what happened to yours today." I said, and then after I was saying that to him, he was slowly nodding, feeling like maybe I was onto something here. That maybe this was not the best place to discuss this.

"This does have information that can help us understand the entire course of what we are getting ourselves into and stuff." After he was saying this to me, I was starting to head out of the tent, and Ness was slowly following me, and I knew that we were going to literally fucking die if we were to get caught on what we were doing here.

Once we were slowly heading back to my house, I was slowly putting the documents behind my shirt, thinking that once he handed the stuff to me, they were my responsibility, and that was something that I was going to have to accept full on, considering the fact that I had forced him into this, and that it was at my house. It would try and clear him up of anything that could come along.

"I really think that there is something that is going on here. I mean, people might be thinking that this was a simple crash. Even I did at first. But when you start to look at it all, and you can see what they are fearing, you start to realize that none of that is true. Something much deeper is happening, and we are forcing ourselves to pretend like this is all fine." After he had told me this, I was sighing, feeling like I needed to try and see what the hell he was talking about here, and how I could get him to calm down.

"Listen, I think that no mater what, we really should not be bringing this up to anyone else. I think that if we keep this to ourselves, then we will have a chance of being able to pretend like everything is fine. But until then, I think that we really got to actually keep this together. I am scared, and you are too. Let's not force anybody else onto this whole matter." I said, trying to get him to feel like we were in danger, since we totally were, no matter how ugly this was going to be for him.

We were eventually getting to my house, and we placed the documents under my bed before anything else could happen, so we would be able to think about what was going on, and think about what we are doing in the first place. This whole thing was just a lot to handle, and I think that we just needed a moment to calm down from it without feeling like we were going too deep into this whole thing.

Before we were able to relax for too much longer though, there was a noise that we were both dreading very much. A noise that I was certain we both did not want to hear. Before we were even able to pretend like we were able to just put this whole thing behind us, the hell was already starting up once again.

We were getting out of my room, just trying to pretend like were going to be casual about this, and as we had been doing so, our minds were running, and I was feeling like more and more, the very survival was all that mattered. Nothing else besides just living through this whole fucking thing. I knew that Ness was finally starting to not even pretend like this was all fine, since he was now starting to let it all get to him.

We were seeing that once we were outside, that there was something in the sky. Not another meteor or anything like that. If we were that, I doubt that we would have cared that much. Just the fact that the sky was getting darker and darker, and there was almost no sign of it looking like it was coming close to letting up. That fact was scaring both of us, and I knew that regardless of what we were able to get ourselves into, neither one of us were really going to be too excited for what was to come up now.

"I think that no matter what is about to happen, our life is just going to be getting a whole lot more rough. I wished that maybe we did just stay calm about this whole thing after all." I said, and then I was starting to wonder if maybe my statement was going to be at least slightly amusing to Ness, or if he was just going to be telling me that this was too far gone, and that nothing was going to be making this better.

"I wonder what we are even going to be getting ourselves into right now. I guess that maybe it does not really matter. I think that maybe we are going to be all in for some ride soon enough." After Ness was telling me that, I was then thinking that we just needed to find a way to keep ourselves safe at the very least.

"Well, I think that soon enough, it might not even matter if we tell others or not. They might find out what is going on for themselves. I think that maybe in a way, we are going to need to find a way to get these people to actually listen to us. The matter is more of how are we going to be able to get them to listen to us and stuff." After Ness said that to me, I was just trying to find a way to make some sense out of this whole thing. I was feeling like maybe I was going to have to tell Ness in the nicest way possible that something like this was just not going to be working out the way that he was wishing for it to.

"Well, I hope that they will be smart enough to know that we are going to be the good guys, and that we are going to be trying our best to make sure that things work out. But to be honest, I am really scared." I said, and then after I was telling Ness that, I saw him looking like he was just thinking that this entire situation had no real point to all of this.

"I think what we should do is just talk to our parents about this. I know that you were saying our parents might not need to know about this, or might not even believe in us or anything. But I think that this is beyond simply hiding from what is happening and stuff. I feel like we need to just admit that we are in a bad place, and we need to find a way to get them to see that we fucked up, but now that we know we did, we just need some help." After Ness was done with this, I was sighing, thinking about it all.

"I hate to admit it, but fuck it, you're probably right. I just wish that this was something that I did not have to be dealing with. This whole thing feels fucking insane, and I wish that I was able to have a better way to describe it all." I said, and then I placed my head on my face, just trying to find a better way to express myself. Even though I knew that Ness was never going to understand my fear of the life we now lived.

"I think that maybe my parents will be easier to tell, since they already saw that monster, and they might be willing to believe in what we tell them. I just hope that they are willing to actually use logic in this case, considering the fact that we have nothing to be working on right now. We need to just find a way to all work together, and then when that is done, then we might be able to branch out towards your parents as well." After Ness was saying that to me, I was nodding again, and I felt like this was going to be the best way we were going to be getting through all of this. Was to have a group of parents, preferably Ness's, be at our side the whole way through it all.

"Hey Ness, what exactly do you think we are going to be able to say to your parents that will get them to be buying what we are doing here? I think that we need to find a way to feasibly get them to believe in what is going on here. But that might be a bit hard, considering the fact that we know absolutely nothing about the fact the monsters around." I was saying, and then the closer that I was heading on towards his house, I was feeling like maybe Ness was going to just try and find a way to make it all sound like it was fine and dandy, but in all honesty, it was nowhere even close to that at all.

"I will just tell them what we saw, and what we know, and I hope that this will be enough for them to actually understand that something is going on here. I am just a bit worried that they will not be wanting to help out at first. Not that they won't believe us. The believing is going to be the easy part." After Ness said that, I was thinking that this was probably a good take, and that maybe he was probably going to know his parents better than I ever will.

"I just think that if we start to reveal this information slowly enough, and realistically enough, there will come a point where even they will be able to be forced to listen to us. I just hope that it will not be taking things much worse than maybe simple monsters to get them to listen to us and stuff." I was just trying to decide if I was actually going insane, or if I was sort of onto something good here. Then I was thinking of how I was going to get my parents to believe in me.

"I am going to have so much stuff to explain to my parents when they see me next. And I have so much to try and get them to believe. God, I did not really think of how hard this was going to be for me until I was actually thinking about that a bit more." I was saying, trying to decide if I was going to have to explain the lateness or the monsters first. Either one seemed like a good option to go with honestly.

"They are going to probably just think you are insane at first. I mean, in all honesty, if I had a kid that was telling me this stuff, I would not be able to help but feel like maybe they had a screw loose or two we well." Ness admitted but before we were able to talk about it more, there was something that was coming towards us, and I think we both knew it was either those workers, or another monster that we would have to fight.

I was seeing when it was getting closer that it was something wearing a blue robe and stuff. I was confused at what exactly I was seeing. Just sort of wanting to know why somebody was thinking that dressing up was going to be so funny. I did not even know what they were supposed to be acting like they were. But then I was seeing they were holding up their hands, as if ready to try and take something out. I was wanting to see what this thing was that they were pulling out here.

The monster, or person, or whatever this thing was, started to pull out what looked like a giant paint brush. I was then looking at Ness, just totally lost at what I was seeing. I was wondering if Ness was feeling the same way that I was, considering the fact that there was literally no explanation to this at all. But then the thing was raising the brush all the way up, as if they were getting ready to make some form of a display. I was almost kind of curious as to what this was, if it were not for me telling myself with every cell of my body that something was going on here, and that I needed to be as careful as possible with this.

The thing started to bring down its paint brush towards us, and when they had done this, something was flying towards us. It took me a second to realize that it was something that looked like a fire ball. Once I got over my shock and confusion, I jumped to my side to try and avoid what I was going to have to deal with now. I was then looking right at Ness, and I was trying to find something else to say to him to get him to know what the fear behind my expression really was. "Either that thing is a fucking magician, or it is a monster. And to be honest, I am kind of scared to find out which." I was saying to Ness, and he was nodding, and he was wanting to find something else to say, to make him seem brave, but at that moment, it was almost like he did not give a single shit in the world what anybody was thinking of him.

"I think that no matter what that thing is, we are going to have to fight it." Ness was telling me, as he clearly had the fear of god put into him, and he was wanting to know what else he was going to be able to say to me to try and get me to know what he was really fearing. But at the same time, I was looking deeply at this thing, unsure of what I would even want to tell them in the first place, and what I was getting myself ready for.

"Well, do you have any ideas? I think that literally anything is better than what we have right now." I said, and then I was seeing Ness looking like he was starting to be just as worried as I was, thinking that maybe we were at the end of our line. That if we fucked up even one time at this thing, we were going to be getting ourselves killed. I was then seeing that there was a small rock on the ground. It was not much, but I knew that it was going to be better than nothing at all at least.

So as I was thinking about this, I threw the rock as fast as I could, and was seeing it hit the thing in their face. I was glad for a moment that I had managed to accomplish something such as this without really even trying all that hard. But then I was thinking about what else I was going to have to do to actually stand a chance at this. Ness was looking like he was ready to do something else, but had no idea what he was wanting to do now.

He had started to run towards the monster sorcerer thing, and I was thinking that he really needed to come up with a better strategy than that, since he was going to be getting himself killed if he was trying that one out too many times more. But then I saw him get behind the monster, and he kicked them right behind the monster, and then kicked them right in the back, which made them start to tip a bit, and then fall down to the ground.

As the monster was starting to come towards the ground, I found a stick on the ground, and was holding it as tightly as I could. I was sighing for a moment, and then I ran towards the thing myself, totally forgetting about what I was internally yelling at Ness over just a moment ago, and then swung the stick at their side, trying to get them to hurt even just a little bit.

After I had done that, I was wondering if Ness was going to have any idea of how he was going to go about this thing himself, and then he was jumping on the monsters back, and when he put all of his weight on that jump, he was really hurting that thing, and I could see with the small term recoil that he had actually managed to do some real damage this time. I was thinking that maybe this was going to be the best way we were going to get out of here, and I was waving at Sam my way to get him to notice what I was doing, and then after a moment, I saw him looking like he was able to get it, and started to run behind me, as we were going to his house to be safe now.

As we were running towards his house, I was thinking of something that I could be able to say to him to at least try and break the mood, but I did not know if something like this was going to be able to go down, or if I was just going to be saying stuff to him that he would not really want to listen to. "So I think that we are going to need to find a way to finally defend ourselves right now." After I was saying this to him, I was hoping that he was going to be able to see that in this case, I was going to be right, and that I was not going insane right now.

"Yeah, I know. But the problem is not that, it is more of being able to find one that will have a chance. Do you have any idea how hard it will be for people our age to be able to get something and not have people think that we are insane people who are going to go on and rob a bank or something like that?" He asked, and I was stopping to actually think about that a bit more. When he was bringing up his side of the argument, I felt like maybe he was actually having a good point.

"Alright, so maybe you got a point there. But I think that we got to at least try. You know, to make sure that we are not missing out of anything at all. I think that this could be very important." I said, and then after I was saying this to Ness, I was just thinking about how likely it was that we were going to be getting ourselves killed, and now this debating was not going to be helping anybody else out. In fact, it was only going to be making things so much worse for everybody else around me.

"Well, I guess that maybe we can find something at the houses that we live at that we might be able to use. I mean, this is sounding crazy, and I know that you are probably not going to like this idea, but it is the best that we can really do." After he was saying that to me, I was just trying to find something that can make us feel like we were in some form of being safe.

"I guess that if we have nothing else to work with, then we might as well just try and see how this can work. But I feel like this whole thing is just going to be insane. I can't believe that we are digging so deep into this, and that there is literally nothing that we can fucking do about it." I said, and then after I was done with that, we were getting near his place, and I was just wondering if he had any great ideas of what he was going to use against these things.

Ness was going inside of his room, and I was just annoyed out of my fucking mind that this was actually happening in the first place. I was thinking that there was a good chance that by just staying out here, I was going to get myself in danger of fighting that monster again, and I was thinking that there was no way in hell I would survive against that thing, since they were just to put it quite simply, so much stronger than me and stuff.

I was starting to just let the fear of something happening to me get to me more and more as I was sitting down, wondering what I was even going to accomplish by sitting around here, doing nothing all say, and just sort of letting people be doing my hard work for me anyways. I had felt like maybe if I really wanted people to work with me, I would have been nicer and more open with them. But such a thing was just going to be fucking impossible at this point in time.

In a way though, I was almost wanting to be alone for a bit longer, feeling like I was not going to get the chance to truly be alone for a while longer, and that this was going to be the best that I could get out of this. I just wished that I was going to find a way to get Ness to see that I wished that he was able to see my perspective. But in a way, at the same time, I was sort of wondering what the hell my perspective even was. I was thinking that my perspective was just sort of gone at this rate, and that I needed to just find a way to get out of this easier.

I was wondering if Ness even wanted to be fighting anymore. Or if he was just too scared to not fight, and that this was the main thing that was just keeping him together. I would not blame him if he were being like this either. This whole thing was just a bit much to handle, and I was sort of tired of it myself, and I wished to be able to have some better answers on what I was going to try to accomplish out of all this.

I felt like when I was judging him, maybe I needed to be honest about myself as well. I was thinking that maybe I needed to give him a chance to be able to show his side of things. I felt like it was the least that he deserved, and it was all that I was going to be able to give him if I as going off of the bare minimum, which in all honesty was barley anything in the first place, and I hated sort of just treating him like he was just a extra piece of dirt or something.

Eventually, Ness was showing up once again, and then after he was here with me, he was looking happy at me, as if he was feeling like he was sort of on top of the world and stuff. Like he was going to be able to get the people to see his great weapon that he would be able to use in self defense.

"A baseball bat? To be honest, I would not have done that either... But I think that maybe it could work out enough. So I have no real reason to tell you no. I mean, I barely have anything myself." I said, and then after I was telling Ness that, I was wondering how the hell he was actually thinking he was even going to be able to get himself out of his safely. This whole thing was just a bit strange, and that was when I was realizing that I virtually had nothing to go off with anymore.

"Well, I just could not really find something too easily, and decided to use what I felt like was going to be at least something. I was feeling like maybe this was going to be a whole lot easier for all of us. But I guess that maybe I am just looking into this whole damn thing too deeply here." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was looking at the great outside, thinking about what the hell we were actually going to do now. If we were going to get anybody to join our side. I felt like getting people to join our sides was going to be the roughest part of this. It was going to be the only part of this that I was certain we would really have no chance of truly being able to pull off.

"To be honest, I feel like I am going to be out of this right now. I think that it is just going to be you and I here. I doubt that we are going to have anybody at our side. That is the thing that I truly hate. The fact that it seems like we are going to well and truly be alone in all of this. Even if we tell our classmates or something, they are not going to believe in us. We are just on our own." I said, and then after I was done saying that to Ness, I was wondering what the heck Ness was even wishing to say at this rate. I was wondering if he even cared all that much what I was doing.

"Well, I think that we just are going to have to take that risk with stride. If we try too hard to work our way around it, then we are going to be only setting ourselves back more. I doubt that anybody is going to even want to listen to us, even if we were to give them a chance to actually speak with us." Ness was saying, feeling like he was virtually out of his zone by saying all this.

"I just wish that this was never a debate that we had to force ourselves into in the first place. if we had been able to actually look at things from a logical perspective, then I think that everything would have been fine. But I doubt that things are really going to be going over so easily. That is the thing that I have to be ready for. The fact that I am just sort of thinking we are going to be messed up no matter what we are going to do now." I was thinking long and hard about this whole thing, and I was just thinking about the fact that I was going to have to try and get my parents to know what I was really fearing, for better or for worse on this whole thing.

"But Ness, what are we going to do if this whole thing turns out to be a hoax? I mean, I feel like there is a good chance that something like this is going to work out against us, and if something were to go down, then I feel like maybe it would have been better to just not do anything at all. I think that even you get what I am meaning here." I said, and then I was really wondering if he was going to actually be considering what I had been telling him now, or if he was going to tell me that I was being too worried on all of this now.

"Well, if this whole thing turns out to be a hoax, then I think that you are just going to have to find your way through it all just me at your side. We are both going to have to find a way to make it look like we were not too afraid of what was going on, or that we did not really think that what we were doing was wrong. But I guess that this is going to be taking a lot to be getting towards. But I guess that we are just going to have to just see what we can do now that can buy us some time with this whole thing now. But T.K., do you support me on this?" After Ness asked this, I nodded, feeling like this was going to be the only thing that mattered.

"I think that I will support you on this, no matter what the turn out is. I feel like it is my best chance of being able to get through with this, and that is the main thing that I have to be looking into, as selfish as something like this is really going to be, I need to find a way to sort of be able to work on fighting for myself now. But as long as you are here, I want to try and make things right." I said, and then we were looking at the red ish sky, thinking about the journey soon to be ahead of us.


End file.
